Page 26 - Occupational Health & Safety, September 2019

FOOT PROTECTION
The Evolution of Footwear Safety Standards
The most widely recognized safety footwear standard in the U.S. today is ASTM F2413. The original predecessor to this speci- fication, ANSI Z41, established footwear performance criteria to protect workers from common hazards. Its importance was recognized by the Occupational Safety and Health Administra- tion (OSHA) and the Code of Federal Regulations.
The first version of the ASTM safety standard was published in 2005, revised in 2011 and recently revised again in 2018 as ASTM F2413-18. With each new year of revision to the standard, shoe manufacturers/providers are required to recertify existing styles within one year of the publishing date.
The ASTM F2413-18 standard contains basic requirements to assess footwear including:
■ Impact resistance for the toe area
■ Compression resistance for the toe area
■ Metatarsal protection for the metatarsal bones at the top of
the foot
■ Conductive properties to reduce static electricity buildup
and lower the possibility of ignition of explosives, volatile chemi- cals or fine particulates in the air
■ Electric hazard protection when accidentally stepping on live electric wires
■ Static dissipative properties to reduce hazards that result from a buildup of static charge where there is risk of accidental contact with live electrical circuits
■ Puncture resistance (to protect the bottom of the foot) from sharp penetrating objects
A Closer Look at the 2018 Footwear Standards
Protective Toe Cap Footwear. Although the basic standard re- mained the same from 2011 to now, there are three changes of sig- nificance worth noting in the 2018 version.
1. The original requirements for Static Dissipative properties stated the footwear shall have a lower limit of electrical resistance of 106 Ω (1 megohm) and have an upper limit of electrical resistance of 108 Ω (100 megohms). This footwear was labeled as SD. There are now three levels of SD protection listed in ASTM F2413-18.
■ Footwear having a lower limit of electrical resistance of 106 Ω (1 megohm) and an upper limit of electrical resistance of 108 Ω (100 megohms) may be labeled as SD100.
■ Footwear having a lower limit of electrical resistance of 106 Ω (1 megohm) and an upper limit of electrical resistance of 3.5 x 108 Ω (35 megohms) may be labeled as SD35.
■ Footwear having a lower limit of electrical resistance of 106 Ω (1 megohm) and an upper limit of electrical resistance of 1.0 x 107 Ω (10 megohms) may be labeled as SD10.
2. Labeling and identification of protective footwear with a pro- tective toe cap is essential to identify the specific protections that the footwear provides and to ensure the required minimum per- formance criteria of ASTM F2413 are met.
■ Line 1 of label: ASTM F2413-18 (ASTM Standard No. - Year of issuance)
■ Line 2 of label: M/I/C (appropriate gender, M or F, and the Impact and Compression resistance)
■ Line 3 of label: Mt/EH/PR (additional protections)
3. Regardless of the year of issuance of F2413, a test report shall
be issued by a Third-Party laboratory. The test report shall include performance requirements and safety hazard(s) the footwear and/ or puncture resistant devices have been tested for, the individual test results and a pass/fail statement.
In addition, ASTM F2413-18 now includes a requirement for a Certificate of Conformance (COC) to be issued by a Third-Party laboratory. The COC shall include but not be limited to:
■ Third party laboratory name, contact information and au- thorization signature(s)
■ Name of company the Certificate of Compliance (COC) is issued to
■ All manufacturer’s references (product category, style, mod- el, SKU, etc.)
■ Certification issue date
■ Report number and issue date associated with the Certifi- cate of Compliance (COC)
■ Statement that the manufacturer’s reference (product cat- egory style, model, SKU, etc.) meets the performance requirements of ASTM Specification F2413-18 as tested in accordance with ASTM Test Methods F2412-18a and list the safety hazard(s) tested
Test Methods for Foot Protection. The F2412-18a Standard Test Methods for Foot Protection now includes better defined test procedures and detailed diagrams.
Soft-Toe Protective Footwear. The F2892-18 Standard Speci- fication for Performance Requirements for Soft Toe Protective Footwear (Non-Safety/Non-Protective Toe) now includes the same three levels of SD as described for F2413-18. A Certificate of Con- formance will also accompany the Third-Party test report and the labeling will reflect the new 2018 standard revision.
Resulting Manufacturer Testing Processes
For manufacturers of protective safety footwear, it’s critical to have an established testing process to ensure all products meet the current standards and to stay on top of updated requirements. For example, trusted footwear manufacturers will have testing ca- pabilities to routinely audit the continued safety performance of the footwear.
Impact on Professionals Charged with
Occupational Health and Safety
ASTM protective footwear standards have an impact on a wide range of professionals charged with worker safety within their in- dustries. Here are some key principles to keep in mind when part- nering with a provider to select protective footwear for workers who encounter hazards on the job.
Follow the ASTM standard. Any safety footwear provider can claim its products are safe and offer the protective properties re- quired for the task at hand, but it’s important to verify that they are ASTM-compliant. Make sure your provider has followed the cur- rent, most up-to-date testing and performance requirements and can provide a Certificate of Conformance.
Understand the details. Whether or not a specific shoe or boot will provide adequate, long-term protection depends on much more than one standard. It requires a deep understand- ing of what the job actually involves: the surfaces, contaminants and physical requirement of the role. Look for a provider with experience in developing purpose-built safety footwear worn in
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