With the growing popularity and enhancement of the concept of labor protection, various types of finely divided labor protection products have appeared on the market and people have started to make targeted choices when purchasing labor protection products. As an example, erectors are highly dangerous workers who work at height. Before construction, workers should do a good job of safety protection, such as wearing labour safety shoes, safety belts, etc.

Some workers have doubts about what kind of labour safety shoes are suitable for construction workers?

Labour safety shoes are a kind of footwear with safety protection for the feet, and there are many types of them, such as protecting the toes against smashing, puncturing, slipping, anti-static, insulating, acid and alkali resistant, etc. The choice of protective footwear for erectors is based on the working environment, the nature of the work and the degree of hazard.

The main risk for scaffolders is that during scaffold erection and dismantling operations, workers will step on scaffold steel pipes and slip and fall, causing accidents. Therefore, in our safety standards, all references are to “non-slip footwear“. With the release of the new standards, safety footwear has been added to the requirements of non-slip performance, so that this risk can be reduced to a certain extent.

labour safety shoes

The difference between slip resistant safety shoes and ordinary shoes is the sole. Slip resistant footwear has a special non-slip sole, which provides better grip on smooth surfaces and ensures that the user is able to stand firmly on his or her heels even when working and is not likely to slip. When scaffolders are setting up scaffolding, they often have to step on steel pipes, so the soles should be sufficiently slip-resistant, and the structural design, width and depth of the sole pattern will affect the slip resistance of the soles.

Smash-proof safety shoes, when carrying out other operations on scaffolding such as handling, installation, etc., are prone to the risk of falling objects and impacts, as well as pre-buried parts and tied materials, which personnel are prone to touch when working. Anti-smash safety shoes are designed to prevent falling objects from hitting the feet by placing impact resistant materials on the front toe of the shoe. Anti-smash safety shoes are widely used to protect the feet from being hit by heavy objects.

labour safety shoes

In some formal, large building construction units contracted on the site, workers commonly use the following types of labour safety shoes.

1.insulated shoes

This kind of labour protection shoes, suitable for electrician department technicians to wear. Electricians work throughout the entire project, and because of the complex environment of the site, the working environment of electricians is extremely dangerous, so they must wear insulated helmets, insulated gloves and insulated safety shoes, like the front-line staff of the national grid, which is almost a pair of hands.

2.High-temperature resistant labour safety shoes

Work sites often involve on-site welding, and with welding comes sparks and welding spatter. Therefore, if you don’t want to be accidentally injured, then high temperature resistant labour protection shoes and labour protection work clothes are a must.

labour safety shoes

3.Smash-proof footwear

Smash-proof shoes are the most common type of shoes used on construction sites. There is always a risk of being hit by sticks, stones, bricks and other heavy objects that may inadvertently fall on a construction site, so smash-proof shoes are a prime choice for construction workers.

4.Puncture resistant footwear

Construction floors are littered with debris and without puncture-resistant footwear, the soles of the feet can easily be punctured by sharp objects. Therefore, a puncture-resistant shoe is essential.

For practical recommendations of the best boots matching these protection needs, visit our top construction site footwear guide.

How should you choose the right labour safety shoes for your construction site? We analyse them according to the different types of work to help you get rid of your worries.

1.Carpentry:

Carpentry is a more common type of work on construction sites, mainly responsible for ordering templates, as well as closing moulds, folding moulds, wooden door installation, etc.. Generally will be more contact with a variety of tools, sometimes encountered by sawing in the injury, if the phenomenon of clip sawing wood fall or mechanical equipment suddenly slipped from the hands in the feet, as well as miter saw machine saw blade off and other phenomena occur. For this kind of working environment, we generally recommend choosing anti-smash safety shoes. Anti-smash safety shoes have a built-in impact resistant toe, which greatly reduces the damage to the foot caused by falling objects.

labour safety shoes

2.Steelworkers:

Mainly responsible for configuring, making and tying reinforcement bars, steelworkers need to carry heavy objects such as reinforcement bars and bricks frequently. In the construction environment, they often encounter sharp objects scattered on the ground, such as iron nails and steel bars. The feedback from frontline workers suggests that anti-smash and anti-puncture safety shoes are a better choice for reinforcement workers. Anti-smash and anti-puncture safety shoes can better protect the feet from being smashed or stabbed by heavy objects such as rebar.

3.Welders:

welding work has certain dangers, welders may come into contact with sparks, and we all know that once in contact with sparks may cause safety accidents. Therefore, high temperature resistant safety shoes are needed for foot protection. The high temperature resistance of the outsole means that the outer sole of the shoe does not soften, melt or crack within a short period of time when it is in contact with a hot surface at a certain temperature and under a certain pressure, which can better protect the foot from being burnt by high temperatures.

4.Electricians:

Electricians are an essential part of the construction work and must wear insulated equipment and shoes because of the extremely dangerous working environment. The soles of their shoes need to be insulated to block the dangerous currents passing through the body via the feet and to prevent the workforce from being harmed by electricity and kept away from high voltage electrocution injuries.

labour safety shoes

The above is a brief introduction to the 4 common types of safety footwear, as well as a few common types of safety footwear for construction sites. Different types of work choose the right labour safety shoes for themselves according to their working environment and nature of work. In order to protect workers from injuries and reduce safety disputes on construction sites, we must pay great attention and be constantly vigilant, starting from the details to avoid accidents. That’s why we construction workers, can’t do without a pair of safety shoes with good protection.

According to estimated standards, an important feature of industrial safety footwear is that the toes can withstand the impact of 20 kg of a hard object dropped vertically from a height of 1 metre and absorb 200 joules of kinetic energy. Other safety features have been added to most safety shoes and different types of products have been developed.

These include a robust steel midsole design that prevents nails and other sharp objects from piercing the bottom of the foot. Other related attributes include slip resistance and grip. Other safety properties of the soles include anti-static properties, resistance to temperature changes and resistance to specific fuels and chemicals.

labour safety shoes

Hygienic, comfortable safety footwear can improve worker productivity and prevent chronic foot or leg disorders. Important indicators of comfort performance include the need for the upper material to meet specific standards of waterproofing and breathability, for the inner material to absorb perspiration easily and for odours to escape when the shoe is removed. Other safety features include a well-fitting sole design, support for the foot and arch, softness and elasticity, and shock-proof design of the footbed and heel.

Most durable industrial safety shoes are made from cow or buffalo leather. The soles are durable, abrasion and puncture resistant. As a result, it can function as a safety protection for a considerable period of time, even in difficult working conditions. The stylish design is attracting more and more attention from consumers!

In order to protect workers from injury and reduce the problem of site safety disputes, construction units should be sure to target the purchase of safety shoes!