Safety Boots Information
All types of safety gear need to abide by standards set by OSHA and ANSI and
safety work boots are no different. But, for safety boots, the labeling mechanism specified by ANSI and the American Society of Testing Material (ASTM) is more complex than a number or a one-line rating. Safety boots, be it
soft toe or
steel toe safety boots, need to meet certain protection requirements, such as if the boots give metatarsal, electrical hazard, and puncture
protection, as well as other protective properties like static resistance. Although ANSI standards and labels were replaced in 2005 with ASTM standards, the same type of properties and tests still apply for a pair of safety work boots to make them compliant with OSHA’s Title 29 1910.136 for Occupational Foot Protection.
ASTM has standards F2412-05 for foot protection and F2413-05 for performance requirements, and a pair of safety boots needs to go through various tests for impact and compression resistance, electrical hazard protection, conductive protection, and protection against punctures and penetration. Nevertheless, workers need safety boots to protect from foot injuries resulting from falling or rolling objects, objects that could pierce the sole, and exposure to electrical hazards. Safety boots with an ANSI coding have a label specifying what the boot protects, with the safety label appearing as such:
ANSI Z41 PT 99
F I/75 C/75
Mt/75 EH
PR
The first line of the label specifies the ANSI standard, as well as if it’s a protective toe safety boot and the year of the standard; in this case, the standard was 1999. Line two specifies whether it’s a
women’s or men’s safety boot and both impact and compression resistance. Impact resistance can be 30, 50, or 75 foot pounds, and compression resistance is also labeled 30 to 75, except each number stands for 1000, 1750, or 2500 pounds of compression. Lines three and four specify additional standards, including
metatarsal resistance, conductive properties,
electrical hazard resistance, puncture resistance, and static dissipative properties. When more than three sections of ANSI properties apply to safety boots, line four is used.
As of 2005, ASTM F2413-05 standards are used to label safety boots. A typical ASTM safety label appears as such:
ASTM F2413-05
M I/75/C/75/Mt 75
PR
CS
The wording and order is similar to the older ANSI standards, except the most significant difference is that line two identifies any metatarsal protection properties. Lines three and four, in addition, specify other properties, such as conductive, electrical insulation, static dissipation, puncture resistance, chain saw cut resistance, and dielectric insulation.
Both ANSI and ASTM standards specify the various properties for a pair of safety work boots, but neither 
accommodates for any additional devices, such as outer shoes or metatarsal guards. Many industrial occupations use safety boots, either soft toe or steel toe safety boots, but , according to OSHA, some of the workers specifically needing work safety boots include shipping and receiving, stocking, carpentry, electricians, machinists, mechanics and repairers, plumbers, assemblers, dry wall and lathe installers, packers, wrappers, craters, punch and stamping press operators, sawyers, welders, laborers, freight handlers, garden and grounds keepers, timber cutting and logging, stock handlers, and warehouse workers. Although safety boots for logging and construction might have significant differences, all need to meet certain safety standards and each type of protection should be labeled with each pair of work safety boots.
