Technical Corner

For the article this month, we will look into the special requirements and considerations electrical engineers, designers, and contractors need to take into account when selecting appropriate footwear for use on site.

OSHA 1910.136(a) states that employers “shall ensure that each affected employee uses protective footwear when working in areas where there is a danger of foot injuries due to falling or rolling objects, or objects piercing the sole, or when the protective footwear will protect the affected employee from an electrical hazard, such as static-discharge or electric-shock hazard, that remains after the employer takes other necessary protective measures.”

https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.136

But what does that actually mean when you’re selecting footwear?

In most cases, engineers, architects, and contractors are required to wear some level of safety shoe or boot, and the type of field work you’re doing can impact your decision about how you protect your feet.

Say you’re visiting a laboratory to verify existing conditions? Then, according to the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute, “shoes should be comfortable, rubber soled, and cover the entire foot,” and “disposable, fluid resistant shoe covers can be worn in jobs where splashing is expected. (“Appropriate Footwear in the Lab | Lab Manager”). Because canvas shoes will absorb chemicals or infectious fluids, they are not recommended.” Instead, choose leather, or synthetic materials which are fluid resistant. Most work boots will fit the bill.

https://www.labmanager.com/lab-health-and-safety/appropriate-footwear-in-the-lab19414#:~:text=The%20Clinical%20Laboratory%20Standards%20Institute,fluids%2C%20they%20 are%20not%20recommended.

Other times, you might find yourself on an active construction site, where there is an increased risk of injury due to falling objects, hard trip hazards, or puncture hazards. As mentioned above, OSHA 1910.136(a) calls for “protective footwear”. This footwear must be puncture and slip resistant, and must also provide impact and shear protection. OSHA does not require that boots be steel toe, but steel toe boots are best suited for this sort of protection. As such, most employers, as well as most clients, will require anybody on a construction site to be wearing protective footwear which is also steel toed.

Why does this differ for electrical professionals who might be working in electrical rooms or around electrical equipment? When these people are on site, they face different risks than others. OSHA 1910.333(c)(8), Safety-Related Work Practices is reflective of this. It prohibits the wearing of conductive articles of jewelry and clothing (such as watch bands, bracelets, rings, keychains, etc.) if they might contact exposed energized parts.

People in the electrical trades should be looking for footwear that includes an Electrical Hazard (EH) rating. For a boot to qualify for an EH rating, it must pass testing spelled out by the ASTM International

Standard. Boots with an EH rating must provide for not only your standard protective footwear requirements as outlined above, but also protection against electrical discharge of 18,000 volts for 1 minute. These boots are made in such a way that their entire surface is nonconductive.

Steel toed boots can be EH rated, but over time they can provide an opportunity for catastrophic failure where electricity is involved. We’ve all seen a set of wellworn boots with the toes scrapped through. For an electrical professional, this is a potentially fatal exposure.

Another option for people working in the electrical trades is an EH rated safety boot with a composite toe. Composite toes are made from nonconductive materials, which means that as the boots wear on the toe, they do not become a hazard in their own right. Typically, composite toes are also lighter than steel toes. The trade-off is that composite toes do not offer the same level of crush protection as steel toes.

Footwear may also carry a static discharge (SD) rating. Footwear with an SD rating helps to limit the amount of static electricity which can build up on your body as you move around. This type of footwear is generally worn in technical production environments, like microchip manufacturing, where a static discharge could render product useless.

One additional concern is waterproofing. While people in all trades can appreciate dry feet, water and electricity don’t mix, and boots that are water-logged are conductive. Whenever possible, electrical tradespeople should select a boot which is both EH rated and waterproof, but keep in mind that if your boots are wet, they may be compromised.

In summary, while there are many different options for safety shoes, for people in the electrical trades, there are additional risks to consider. When on a job site, you should be looking for hazards. You can see a trip hazard, a nail sticking out of a plank on the floor, or a puddle of fluid which may be slippery. You cannot see an electrical hazard, and therefore, you are always relying on your PPE to protect you in hazardous environments. While standard issue protective footwear may get you on the site, Electrical Hazard rated footwear might just help to get you home.

Hopefully this article finds you well and can be used as a reference for your project needs. If anyone would like to contribute to the RES magazine and add an article or would like to request information on a specific topic (not limited to Electrical) just email me at schoghlan@ bergmannpc.com or beliasz@bergmannpc.com. As always, any comments are appreciated…! Thank you for reading.

Stacey Coghlan, Electrical Designer Bergmann

Brett Eliasz, P.E., LEED AP BD+C , RES Director