Take a Walk Through the New Footwear Safety Standards
A guide to updated ASTM safety requirements for footwear.
- By Lori Hyllengren
- Sep 01, 2019
When it comes to industrial footwear, the importance of worker safety can’t be underestimated. In fact, it can even be a life or death proposition. Companies that require workers to do their jobs in harsh and hazardous conditions—in environments ranging from oil rigs to manufacturing to transportation, construction and more—need to ensure their employees not only have footwear that protects them from injury, but also complies with the latest safety standards.
In 2018, one of the world’s largest international standards developing organizations, ASTM International (formerly known as the American Society of Testing and Materials), introduced three updated footwear standards to guide test laboratories and companies that use protective footwear with improved testing and performance data. These new standards specify performance requirements for protective (safety) toe cap footwear, standard test methods for foot protection, and standard performance requirements for soft-toe protective footwear.
These new standards will give companies that provide personal protective equipment (PPE) for workers the latest industry specifications to aid in the selection of safety footwear. The deadline for complying with these new standards is October 2019. This article will examine safety standards, how they have evolved over the years and what the new 2018 standards mean for safety professionals.
Deconstructing Safety Standards
Safety footwear protects workers’ feet in specific ways under very defined circ*mstances. Potential hazards can include falling or rolling objects such as heavy boxes in a warehouse, piercing objects that go through the sole of a shoe such as nails or knives, and electric shock from exposed electrical wires.
In addition, slips, trips and falls are among the most serious workplace hazards, as employees may encounter treacherously slick floors, wet surfaces or uneven terrain throughout their workday. These hazards can put employers in a difficult position, because the injuries they cause are among the most frequently reported—and most costly—injuries in many industries.
Safety standards provide a set of minimum requirements that PPE must pass during testing, and footwear must meet the standards 100 percent of the time. These safety standards vary by country, but all are intended to protect workers on the job. Although all safety footwear standards include key elements of protection, the testing methods, performance requirements and the certification process may have significant differences.
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This article originally appeared in the September 2019 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.
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