Steel Toes vs. Composite Toes Work Boots
Read MoreAt many construction, shipping or docking job locations, sturdy steel toecap boots are the preferred or required foot attire for workers. Believe it or not, they can also be stylish today. While onsite at construction jobs, workmen’s feet and ankles are well protected against any falling metal or wooden beams or supports by these boots. Workers are also effectively shielded from harm and injury from heavy drills, saws and moving parts on large mechanical equipment that may fall or be suddenly re-positioned. If bumped or sideswiped by small to mid-sized tractors, cranes or lifts, workmen may suffer a few scrapes and bruises from a fall. However, their feet stand a good chance of avoiding injury when clad in these trusty safety boots with reinforced steel toecaps.
You can even add a bump cap, a scuff made of polyurethane, that covers the steel toe of your boots for added protection and durability. With advanced boot design technology available today, impressive levels of safety can be provided to wearers of these boots. At the same time, this sturdy footwear offers a quality, comfortable and flexible fit similar to the latest updates in sports and hiking boots. These boots are even on sale in pleasing color choices to fit every fashion-conscious workman’s fancy.
Especially for some types of maintenance or electrical wiring jobs, workers may prefer wearing composite toecap boots. These boots will not conduct electrical charges and are lighter in weight than most steel toe safety work boots. In fact, the majority of heavy-duty boots with composite toecaps contain no metallic materials. Due to their lack of metal content, workmen can be within security scanning areas without setting off alarms or warning signals. Boots with this protective composite toecap design are approximately 40 percent lighter and generally more flexible than steel toecap boots.
Other advantages of work boots with composite toecaps include their resistance to rust when exposed to harsh weather or wet conditions in the work environment. Boots with composite toe construction also can be X-rayed. These boots rebound following an occurrence of roll or vertical compression. Workers wearing these boots can walk repeatedly through metal detectors unnoticed. This aspect is particularly helpful for airport maintenance or construction crews when working in security areas with active metal detection equipment.
On many construction and heavy equipment worksites, safety boots with steel toecaps are now mandatory. All industrial work boots worn in Australia today must meet requirements of the Australian and New Zealand Safety Standard AS/NZ2210.3. Steel toecaps used in boots that satisfy this safety standard can withstand a drop force equal to 200 joules. They are also resistant to cutting by power saws and to puncturing by sharp objects or nail gun action. In addition, steel toe boots offer unbeatable leakage protection when exposed to wet or muddy worksite conditions. This is partially due to the fact that quality steel toecap boots have waterproof soles. Boot uppers are manufactured of ultimate water-repellent leather reinforced with heavy-duty stitching. When working consistently in wet environments, workers should add extra coats of wax to leather boot uppers for even greater protection against water leakage and boot damage.
See More Steel Toe Cap Safety Boots here.
Other benefits of wearing industrial boots with steel toecaps include protection against physical wear-and-tear and abrasive stress on joints of the lower back, hips, knees, ankles and feet. Especially for the feet, the likelihood of experiencing stress-induced foot injury is greatly reduced when wearing steel toe boots. Although many steel-toed work boots may be heavier than those with composite toe protection, the latest models feel surprisingly lightweight to the wearer. It is still a fact that over 60 percent of industrial worksite accidents and injuries affect the body’s musculoskeletal network. Of this percentage of injuries, 10 percent are ankle and foot injuries.
With touches of tough, sturdy style and modern updates, composite toe work boots are known as the tech-savvy offspring of steel toe boots. While considered less hardy and protective than steel toe boots, they still offer high degrees of support to workers’ efforts to prevent harm and injury on worksites. Containing no metal, these composite boots are composed of carbon fiber, fiberglass, plastic and kevlar. These boots will not set off metal detector alarms, so they are ideal for commercial building security employees and airport terminal staff in security screening areas. They are also much more lightweight and comfortable than most steel toe safety boots.
Composite toe protection work boots cannot offer the same level of foot protection against injury from heavy saws, grinders or weighty metal beams as steel toe boots, but they still offer good degrees of foot protection from general harm. If your composite toe boots also have such protective features as chemical or puncture-resistant components like EVA or rubber, or either welt or cement construction, they may be more protective for certain types of work than steel toe safety boots. Especially if you work around harsh chemicals or sharp, lightweight materials, these composite boots may be the ideal protective footgear.
See work boots that have penetration resistant feature.
When selecting protective boots to keep your feet healthy and injury-free on construction, demolition or other types of industrial job sites, be sure to consider the potentially dangerous aspects of your work. If you work around heavy-duty equipment, sharp or heavy building materials or electric hand saws, steel toecap boots are probably your best foot and ankle protection. However, if the main dangers at your worksite are harsh chemicals or lightweight tools with sharp parts, you may find composite toe boot protection completely adequate. Just take time to consider which boot design best solves your safety issues on the job before choosing your safety footgear. These boots may even come in your favorite colors to spark up your industrial fashions wardrobe.
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