Safety in the Workplace

HEALTH AND SAFETY

SAFETY IN THE WORKPLACE Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – choosing the correct safety footwear 1 2

The Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act requires employers to provide a healthy and safe place of work. Employers must minimize risk and, as far as is reasonably possible, put into place procedures and controls to reduce risk associated with a hazardous work environment. Any employees working in such a place must wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

What is PPE

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is designed to help protect employees against or reduce the risk of injury or exposure to hazardous environments and substances. Typical PPE equipment includes hearing protection, fall protection, breathing/respiratory protection, hard hats, safety glasses, overalls, and equipment offering protection against extreme heat and cold, as well as chemicals and, of course, safety footwear.

The OSH Act states that employers have to supply Personal Protective Equipment free of charge. If the employer fails to do so, or an employee fails to make use of the PPE supplied by the employer, either or both are guilty of an offence. This includes the most common form of PPE, which is safety footwear. If you as the employer do not provide safety footwear and your employee is injured, it is your fault. You can be held liable for damages. In extreme cases your business can be shut down.

Compliance and standards

All safety footwear must comply with a set of minimum legal standards and accreditations. For peace of mind and assurance that the footwear offers the appropriate protection, look for the following accreditations:

• SANS/EN 20345

If a product carries this accreditation, you can be sure that the product has been tested in accordance to international standards and will be compliant with all local and international safety test standards as required by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS). Insist on obtaining these documentations from your supplier.

The SABS is responsible for testing of products. “SABS approved” simply means that the product has passed a set of minimum testing criteria as prescribed by the SABS.

• SATRA Membership

Membership of this independent, world-renowned research and technology organisation means that the footwear manufacturer remains at the forefront of technological advances and testing methods within the industry, ensuring compliance with all international standards.

• Buy local

By buying locally manufactured safety footwear which carries the SANS 20345 accreditation, you are not only getting a guaranteed high-quality and legally compliant safety product, but you are also contributing to our local economy and safeguarding local jobs.

1. PADDED COLLAR

2. PADDED TONGUE

3. GENUINE, FULL LEATHER UPPER

3

4 5

6 77 11

10

8 9 11. COMFORT TOP SOCK

10. ANTI-STATIC INSOLE BOARD

9. DOUBLE DENSITY SOLE

7. INNERSOLE

8. ANTI-SLIP OUTSOLE

4. STEEL TOE CAP 5. VAMP LINING 6. STEEL MIDSOLE

Choosing the right safety footwear

In the workplace there are many hazards that are encountered. It is important to identify them and choose safety footwear with the correct features. You have to think of two things: What are the potential dangers? What is the type of environment? This will affect what level of protection and durability your safety footwear needs.

Here are some of the most common potential hazards and the appropriate safety footwear features required:

Heavy or sharp objects which can fall or roll over toes, bruising, crushing or cutting them (e.g. heavy materials and sharp objects, machinery, vehicles) require steel toe caps to protect the toes. The toe caps must be able to withstand a minimum of 200 Joules of impact. Typical work environments are warehousing, areas where vehicles move in and out, factories, motor workshops, scrapyards, and building sites.

Heavy or sharp objects which can fall or roll over the foot, bruising, crushing or cutting it, and any hazardous liquid, hot materials or sparks (e.g. from welding) which can spill over or burn the foot, need metatarsal protection – a hard cover providing impact protection for the top of the foot. This and a Bellow’s tongue assist in preventing liquid spills and hot materials from entering the shoe. Factories, scrapyards, engineering companies and motor workshops are typical work environments for this.

Sharp objects like metal, needles, nails, glass or large thorns which can penetrate the sole of a shoe and injure the sole of the foot need steel midsoles. Refuse removal, building sites, metal and glass workshops, outdoor work where large thorns are present, and scrapyards all call for this type of protection.

Slipping on polished or smooth floor surfaces, tiled surfaces, or surfaces where lubricants like oil or solvents or low levels of water are present, can be prevented with anti-slip outer soles. This is a must in environments like slippery factory floors, motor or mechanical workshops, petrol and diesel stations, restaurants, and large tiled areas. Generally Double Density PU soles are very durable and will provide greater wearer comfort.