When choosing work or protective footwear for a work environment in which there is exposure to the risk of workers slipping, it is important to pay additional attention to the anti-slip standard in order to eliminate the potential possibility of injury at work.
Following the rules and regulations minimizes the risks of falls and injuries.
Within the chemical, oil, construction and food industries, the exposure of workers to situations where they could slip has increased, and the best solution for users is an adequate selection of protective shoes with the necessary safety features in consultation with a safety officer.
Factors that contribute to the slip resistance standard of footwear
Primarily the materials from which the sole is made and the thickness of the pattern on the shoes.
Soles can be single-layered or multi-layered, and they are most often made of the following materials:
• PU – Polyurethane is a polymeric synthetic material composed of hydrocarbons. PU has good thermal properties, good resistance to abrasion, wear, impact, aggressive liquids, it is light, durable and elastic. As a sole material, it is resistant to oils and petroleum, low concentration acids, alkalis and solvents. Soles can be made of single-layer, two-layer or three-layer polyurethane.
• PU/PU – Polyurethane of double density (Dual Density) means that the central part of the sole is made of softer and foamier PU for improved comfort, and the outer part of the sole is made of harder and denser PU for improved durability and safety. In this variant, it is resistant to heat up to 200°C, oils and petroleum, low concentration acids, alkalis and solvents.
• TPU – Thermoplastic urethane (Thermo Plastic Urethane) is a thermally processed polyurethane. Processed in this way, it becomes softer and much more resistant to abrasion and cracking. It also performs much better at extremely low and high temperatures. High-quality soles are made from it.
• R – Rubber, which is used as a material for soles, is better known, in fact, vulcanized rubber, therefore a natural material, unlike PU, which is synthetic. It is harder than PU, but therefore significantly more resistant to high temperatures. Due to special processing, it becomes resistant to short-term contact with surfaces at temperatures up to 300°C and is labeled HRO.
• N – Nitrile Rubber is a synthetic copolymer of acrylonitrile and butadiene. It is used for soles where significantly higher oil and oil resistance is required. It is also significantly more resistant to acids and bases than a regular rubber sole, but therefore has less flexibility and durability. Resistant to heat up to 300°C (marked HRO), oils and petroleum, low concentrated acids, alkalis and solvents.
In the case of soles, in addition to the material and quality of production, attention should also be paid to the patterns on the underside of the sole. Patterns are sometimes specifically designed to affect shoe performance, including slip resistance.
It is preferable that the shoe has deeper cut patterns to reduce the possibility of slipping.
SRPS EN ISO 20345/20347
The standard prescribes the minimum requirements that footwear must withstand during testing, and as of September 2022, a new standard for work and protective footwear was adopted in Serbia.
The Serbian standard was amended, and the Serbian version was adopted on the basis of the European standard.
The old standards are still valid for footwear certified to the previous version because they are still within the standards.
Such changes in the EU started this year, and in the Albo range in the announcement we have such a situation only with Panda’s Strong Professional collection, specifically with the Tigrotto and Orsetto models in the S3 variant.
What characterizes the new Tigrotto S3 and Orsetto S3 shoe models, in addition to the change in standards, is the design complemented by yellow details on the rims of the shoes, which contributes to the aesthetics of these models.
The Albo company has been taking care of user safety at work for 30 years with an assortment that has a wide selection of work and protective footwear, and our colleagues are always available for all consultations and additional information.