Protective Footwear

[TowZone]

OSHA references protective footwear in it’s Personal Protective Equipment standard (29 CFR 1910.132).  It requires a hazard assessment, the selection of the proper equipment, training and addresses the payment of personal protective equipment.  The Foot Protection requirements (29 CFR 1910.136) are quite simple and state protective footwear must be made to meet the requirements of ASTM F-2412-2005, Standard Test Methods for Foot Protection, and ASTM F-2413-2005, Standard Specifications for Performance Requirements for Protective Footwear.

While many of us grab the coffee at the mention of regulations, the actual specifications of what a pair of protective shoes are designed to withstand is pretty straight-forward.  An example of what would be found on a pair of protective shoes is below.

ASTMF2413-11


M I/75/C75/Mt75

PR

• ASTM F2413-11 identifies the standard the protective shoes meet.  ASTM F2413 issued in 2011.

•         The first letter is the gender of the wearer (M) male or (F) female.  I/75 is the impact resistance of 75 foot-pounds.  C/75 is the compression resistance rating of 75 which corresponds to 2500lbs of compression.  Mt75 is the metatarsal with a rating of 75 foot-pounds.
•          PR references Puncture Resistance.  Other categories would be Conductive (Cd), Electrical Hazards Resistance (EH) or Static Dissipative (SD)