Safety Shoes

[The Merry MillerParticipant @themerrymiller]

Afternoon lads, unless your in the Southern Hemisphere then it’s good night or something very close to that!

 

I have a couple of near misses in the workshop lately and so I’ve decided to invest in a decent pair of safety shoes/boots before my luck runs out.

 

Apparently there’s a big Screwfix store local to where I live and I understand they have a large collection.

 

Any recommendations from the masses would be studied with care.

[The Merry MillerParticipant @themerrymiller]

[The Merry MillerParticipant @themerrymiller]

Thanks for the reply Gray, I was beginning to think nobody out there wore them.

[Keith LongParticipant @keithlong89920]

Hi

I use the Dickies safety boots from Screwfix, they look like a walking boot version of a trainer. Very comfortable and I can vouch for their protective qualities. They are aimed at building workers as they have the reinforced mid sole to prevent nails going into the bottom of your foot. My experience is wearing them while building scenery in a theatre rather than a mechanical workshop. The only downside is that the outsides being soft tend to scuff and wear and so look shabby quickly. A firmer outside such as leather would probably last longer.

Keith

[PatParticipant @pat]

Hi

 

I also use the Dickies safety footwear but prefer the trainer style as they are a bit lighter. The all day comfort is improved with the thick work socks. Prior to retirement my employer used to provide Totectors and having worn my last pair out I have bought from Axeminster Tools who do the Dickies socks a good prices. I have also purchased the Nisbet the catering mail order supplies firm who do the Slipbusters brand which are very cheap and are 200J toe caps – I use these with the lawn mower keeping them in the grass cuttings box to ensure I ware them! Do invest before dropping something heavy on your toes. I did my big toe in when a mate pushed an angle off the surface plate and I did not move quite quick enough and this was unfortunately long before safety shoes were mandated by HSE for non workshop staff.

 

Regards

 

[The Merry MillerParticipant @themerrymiller]

My nearest miss Pat was a 9″ faceplate and I was only wearing carpet slippers at the time that really made me sit up take stock of things especially as it would have been my gouty foot.

Edited By The Merry Miller on 21/04/2011 21:35:14

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

I wear rigger boots in the workshop.

 

Now before you all scoff and make the usual remark about having to have them surgically removed I was in the same boat as to what i thought of them.

 

One day a local guy gave me a pair they were supplied with at work and he didn’t like them and bought his own. I took them as not to upset him and put them on one side. One day my normal lace up safety boots split so I dug the rigger bots out as a stop gap but never looked back.

 

The lined ones are warm in winter and believe it or not cool in summer, working from home they are ideal to quickly slip on or off when entering the house and I like the ankle support that they give. I must admit that I will not go back to ordinary type shoes, with or without steel caps again.

 

John S.

[RobboParticipant @robbo]

Hi All,

 

I prefer the lighter type of safety trainer, and at present have some from “COFRA”, an Italian firm. They are lightweight and cool, have Velcro fastening, and an alloy toecap which still meets the safety standard.

 

My accident was a 8×4 sheet of flooring chipboard, dropped on edge on my big toe half way down it. Not surprisingly it shattered (the toe, not the chipboard) It was so painful I was speechless, no expletives.

 

Of course I was wearing light soft shoes, it was one of those “I’ll just move this out of the way for now” moments.

 

I also find the Rigger boots are fine, always wear them for gardening, plus I have a pair of “Dealer Boot” style slip ons.

Phil

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, I’ve been wearing safety boots at work for many years. The company that I used to worked for, started supplying us with saftey boots in the secound half of the 70’s. At the start they just used to be bog standed quality, but as the years went on they supplied much better ones with all the midsoles oil and chemical resistant, electrostatic resistant, water proof, ect., these type of boots were more expensive of course, but where much easyer on the feet, well when you have them on 8 hours plus and climbing in and out of machinery and paddling on wet floors you realy do appreciate a good boot.

 

I always wear them when I’m in my garage or working outside, I can’t imagine working without them. I currently have a pair of Himalayan ones from Buck and Hickman which cost around £70.00, bit pricey but I believe they are worth it for the comfort and protection they give, I don’t think I’d feel protected with anything less. Maybe I was spoilt when working for my old employer.

 

Regards Nick.

 

Edited By Nicholas Farr on 21/04/2011 22:17:00

[Ramon WilsonParticipant @ramonwilson3]

‘Swing the light’ chaps it’s time for a safety boot story and one that will make you wince I’m certain

 

‘Twas on the rig Glomar North Sea off the Irish coast when I was called to the fore deck. Upon arrival one of my crew, an American chap laid white faced and obviously in some pain on the deck.

 

It appeared he had ‘hurt his foot’ jumping down from a quad of gas bottles (about 6ft plus). We got him to his feet and helped him to the cabin and by this time he was grey and feeling faint. He still could not tell us why he was in such pain but said “His toe hurt” well he said it a bit more dramatically than that as you can imagine. The boot had to come off but Mike was really protesting but eventually we managed it …….lots of blood and a strange lump poking through his sock near his big toe Uugh!! (no smilie for this one guy’s)

 

Now rig boots were readilly available but Mikes were the real thing – Redwings, old and familiar like an old jacket and definitely weren’t going to be swapped for psuedo ‘wings’. But they were well used – so well used in fact that the steel toe cap had exposed itself inwards through the lining. As he landed on the deck his big toe nail had somehow caught behind the exposed lip and the force of landing had virtually ripped it off backwards.

Ah we all said no wonder you were protesting a bit Mike He was limping for abit after too!

It still makes me wince to think of it

 

‘Coo’ – it’s been awhile since that one was aired.

 

Right back to the present

 

Regards – Ramon

 

[Dave TointonParticipant @davetointon92281]

G’Day Merry Miller,

Excellent idea to always wear safety boots in our endeavors. I’m always dropping somethingand quite often you can avoid damage to the item by intentionally sticking a boot under it before it hits the concrete. I wear “Mongrels” Aussie brand, elastic sides, easy to get on and off.

Regards

Dave Tointon

[David ColwillParticipant @davidcolwill19261]

Apparently steel toecap boots are not issued to Royal Navy submariners as the most common foot related accident is dropping torpedo’s on feet which causes the toecap to slice off the toes. Navy surgeons decided that squashed toes are better than no toes and so stiff non toecap boots are issued. The moral of this is to first work out what you are going to drop on your toe and dress accordingly.

I was told about this second hand so cannot vouch for its accuracy but it certainly sounds convincing!

David.

 

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

The one I heard second hand was from a Dutch factory when they first insisted on safty boots. Some workers complained that they always wore Clogs, and they thought they were safer, so after some argument it was decided to run a test, the boots were supposed to withstand a weight dropped from a certain hight, so that was the standard. The weight was dropped on the Clogs, they passed, then the boots, they failed. I think the workers were permitted to wear their Clogs

The other story, when my sister got married and moved on to her husbands pig farm, one of the first things she got was a pair of safty boots, a couple of weeks later she was working with the pigs, when one of them stood on her foot, the toe cap was no use, it picked a spot abut 2″ further up the boot, that put her out of action for the rest of the day, hubby was very comforting, his comment was “they always do that”.

Don’t worry I’v got my safty boots, and I keep away from pigs. Ian S C

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

David,

I can’t confirm that story either way but the only injury I have even had whist wearing toecap boots was one day when a large gear wheel got away from me and started to tip.

I tried to hold it and jumped back at the same time but it landed across one of my toe caps.

 

No bad injury but it had flatted the toe cap so I couldn’t get my boot off. I had to stand on the bench whilst a work mate squeezed the side of my boot in a vise to bow the cap back.

 

Bruised toes but no damage.

 

John S.

[ChrisHParticipant @chrish]

I can agree with John S’s comments re Rigger Boots. They are comfortable, easy on and off as they are ‘slip-ons'(so going in and out the house is not a drag plus taking them off going in earns brownie points), and the ‘sheepskin’ lined ones are warm(er) in winter and cool(er) in summer, and I must buy a new pair as the old ones here are worn out! Have an old pair here and a new pair in our French place.

 

Wouldn’t be without them, even now I have to buy them myself as opposed to ‘company supply’. You notice the comfort when you have to wear them all day. They are especially good in the garden, when SWMBO manages to get me turned-to out there!

 

Wicks do them for about 25 quid, last time I looked. Hope this helps,

 

Regards,

 

ChrisH

 

 

 

[MikeParticipant @mike89748]

Lined riggers for me every time – comfortable and safe in my (usually) freezing, concrete-floored workshop. Also wear them when I go fishing, because they would be easy to kick off should I fall in. And, as someone has already said, easy to take off when I return to the house, thus earning brownie points from SWMBO.

[Gordon WParticipant @gordonw]

I’ve also been wearing safety boots for many years. First issued with them in early sixties, a very large casting ,about 2ft x 3ft x 1ft, freshly machined, slipped off the miller bed and neatly shaved the leather off my toecap. Worn them ever since, but they do hammer my old toes. I’ve got rig boots (preferred), climbing boot style (best for all day wear ) and wellies. Get the lightest if just for DIY, a steel sole is a good idea, just as likely to stand on a nail, also good for ladder work Only drawback :- I got used to using the toecap to stop things hitting the floor, of course one day I was wearing normal shoes.

[MikeParticipant @mike89748]

From a previous post, like the idea of steel soles. When I used to wear ordinary shoes in the workshop I had trouble with tiny steel splinters slowly worming their way through the soles and finishing up in my feet. Used to remove them with tweezers and a magnifying glass, when in the bath. Alas, the ageing process means I am no longer capable of the advanced yoga positions necessary for such an operation!

[Gordon AParticipant @gordona]

I bought a pair of trainer style safety shoes from Aldi some years ago. Bought originally for work to replace the the crippling steel capped shoes supplied by my employer , they ticked all the right safety standards boxes, including reinforced instep. They have padded interior and are very comfortable, cost about £15 at the time. I always wear them in the shed/workshop and for gardening and DIY. I don’t know what Aldi’s latest offerings are like, but I just can’t wear these things out!

Gordon A

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