Steel Toe Capped Boots!

[Ness]

Hello!

I know that some people have raised concern re steel toe capped boots, especially regarding the expense.

There are a number of shops close to the site that have these from £20 - £25. They'll last you all your digging life and are a real investment in your safety.

I'll get names and telephone numbers of the next couple of weeks re York shops but you can always do a web search; you may well get them cheaper on line.

[kmb]

Or get a job within manufacturing where they have to supply them ;D

I've had my Doc Martin steelies for 5 yrs now! lol

K

[Toby]

We had a long think about the the boots thing and it would be too many hoops to jump through to not wear them (There would be restrictions on what digging could be done etc.). As you can see from the site pictures there is so much that can be done, we just don't want to be restricted.

It is worth having a look round and try some on before you buy (if we got lots of pairs they would never fit everybody properly which can be a worse health & safety risk than no boots at all). It will also mean that we do not have to throw away lots of pairs of very expensive trainers that people have trashed. You can actually get steel toe capped trainers if that tickles your fancy!

[Pam]

This week I am mostly wearing trainers....

These in fact....


They are comfy enough for general use - walking / gardening etc so I get plenty of wear out of them even when I am 'resting' (unemployed!).

I bought mine at the Clad Safety shop in Harrogate and paid around £25 inc VAT. Just now I found the same ones on the net at www.alpinesafety.co.uk/acatalog/ECJ_TRAINERS.html at £25 + VAT. That design starts at size 5 but there are others at the same place such as Chukkas which are cheaper and go down to size 3. A number of other online safety wear shops do ladies ranges so there shouldn't be a problem for anyone with 'ickle feet ! People with size 6 and up have a lot of choice !

You can pay as little or as much as you want. Big name brands like DeWalt and Timberland are more expensive but if you aren't too worried about looks you can't go wrong with a cheap pair of Chukkas - cheapest I came across was £12+VAT.... not a lot to pay for safe feet and to save doing any damage to your 'street' shoes !

[keiths]

Someone who was thinking of applying has found some with hard plastic toecaps instead of steel, apparently they are as effective, but a bit lighter. Does anyone know if these are acceptable?

[Toby]

Not sure about that? If they check with the shop they should be able to tell them if they are acceptable as protective footwear under H&S regulations.

[rowena]

I think if they dont have the BS symbol n number then they wouldnt be included by insurance etc. But they probably are better than nothing.

[fee]

With regards to weight (and the plastic toe-caps), I don't find my trainer-style steels much heavier than my actual trainers - but maybe I have heavy trainers?! I noticed last summer that a fair number of people were wearing leather walking boots, which are a comparable weight to the trainer-type steels, and considerably more expensive. I don't know whether that adds much to this thread, but £25, or thereabouts, will get you a decent pair of steels, not too heavy, which can be used for many other things (see Pam's post above).

[Toby]

If they do not have the BS number thingy they are not protective footwear and would not be suitable for coming on the site. The insurance we have means that you would not be covered and therefore not able to do the site work.

[Pam]

The standard that most makes/shops/online stores seem to use is the European EN Standard number, rather than a British BS Standard number. The EN you need is EN345, which is the one that requires a safety toe-cap to protection to 200 joules. As long as the boot complies to EN345 then it should be acceptable, either steel toe cap or composite.

For added protection I would recommend looking for a steel / composite anti-puncture sole or mid-sole which should prevent serious injury in the event of accidentally standing on anything sharp on site!

Some EN345 boots/shoes/trainers may also have a suffix S-something which indicates what optional standard requirements the boots also comply to. Mine, for example are EN345 S1P.

EN 345 : Specifications on Safety Shoes for Professional Use

This standard defines the basic and additional (optional) requirements on safety shoes for professional use.

These shoes include devices to protect the user against injuries caused by accidents liable to occur in the industrial environment for which the shoe has been designed, fitted with safety toe-cap intended to deliver a protection against impacts with an energy level equal to 200 joules.

Class 1 : All materials except natural or synthetic polymers
S1 Basic properties and closed back, anti-static properties, heel energy absorption
S2 Like S1 and Waterproofness
S3 Like S2 and anti-puncture sole, studded sole

Class 2 : Natural and synthetic polymers
S4 Basic properties and anti-static properties, heel energy absorption
S5 Like S4 and anti-puncture sole, studded sole

A - Antistatic
AN - Ankle Protection
CI - Cold Insulation
CR - Cut Resistant
E- Energy Absorption of seat region
HI - Heat Insulation
HRO - Heat Resistant Outsole
M - Metatarsal Protection
ORO/FO - Oil Resistant Outsole
P - Penetration Resistance (Standard for S3 code)
WR - Water Resistance
WRU - Water penetration/absorption

[Ness]

So, if you can't find cheap, British Safety Standard boots after all the information here, well, there's no hope for any of us.

Excellent stuff! Has saved me doing it Thanks Pam!

Back to the sawing up of slags!

[Toby]

Ta for the info Pam.

Well that looks pretty simple then. I must admit mine have no midsole and they are more comfortable to walk in than my last pair that did have one.

I had a look in the shop round the corner from site at lunchtime today. They have lots of different ones in for £20-25... all are proper safety ones. Even if you cannot get them before we have a good supplier just round the corner from site.

I always make sure mine are cocal cola resistant, just for the odd spillage that may occur or when crushing cans for recycling.

[Toby]

Ness...... when did you become a low rent magician? (Joke... and a poor one at that)

[Ness]

Actually, that was quite good. Not your usual level of taking the mick out of me, I'll admit, but not bad.

8.5 from the Irish Judge (ha!)

[Paul]

And for any antipodeans out there, the Aus/NZ standard is:-

AS/NZS 2210.3 - specification for safety footwear with an impact rating of up to 200 joules;

Hooroo. Paul

/Picture of an early prototype that was found to have slight flaws (colour was wrong)