Composite Toe vs Steel Toe Work Boots

What’s the difference between composite toe and steel toe safety boots? Both are great at protecting your toes from getting crushed or pierced on the job. Specifically, safety toe boots offer two forms of protection: impact resistance and compression resistance.

Both these toe boots have materials wrapped around your toes at the front of your boots, and both offer unique benefits that should be weighed when you’re making a decision.

Composite Toe

Comp toe work boots are quickly replacing steel toe boots as the industry norm. It is made of non-metal materials like Kevlar, carbon fibre, plastic or fiberglass. Some jobs might require you to pass through a metal detector; this makes composite toe boots ideal.

Since these boots do not contain metal, they are more comfortable when working outdoors. This is especially true when working outside in extreme conditions. Metal conducts heat, meaning your feet will get colder in cold climates, and hotter in hot climates. So, it is preferable to have comp boots for outdoor work.

Composite boots are also much lighter, this means you’ll use less energy when walking and the boots will actually feel more comfortable if you are wearing them for a long period of time.

Steel Toe

This boot is a classic for qa reason, for years, steel safety toes have been the old tried and true method for protecting the feet of countless workers on the job. And although comp boots are lighter, steel toe boots offer more flat protection.

That’s right, as far as straight impact and protection goes, steel toes can handle much more. That being said, unless you are working in a very hazardous environment, you’re not likely to be in a situation where your toe boot is at risk of shattering.

However, there is a myth that, if met with a heavy enough object, steel toe boots can chop off your toes! Luckily this is false.

Always be careful on the job and be aware. Composite and steel toe bots do a great job of protecting your feet, but it is best to avoid situations that can result in injury in the first place.

Which safety toe do you think is best for your line of work? Browse through L&A Safety’s wide range of work boot options and pick which one is best for you.

Canteen Duty: What to Wear

It’s one of those things that you could probably never imagine doing – spending the day making and serving food, while people crowd around a counter waiting for their food. Yet, many people who work in the food industry, in the school tuck shop or volunteer to help out, know all about it.

The most important thing about canteen duty is what to wear! L&A Safety has a great range of protective clothing including canteen wear like canteen aprons, caps and tops and trousers.

-> Tie up your hair or wear a hair net
 You don’t want to be flinging your hair around and have a strand fall in someone’s sandwich. Many canteens will actually make it mandatory to wear your hair in a hairnet, so make sure you tie it back properly.

-> Cover up the toe cleavage
While it’s not a serious thing, schools may be concerned about Occupational Health and Safety Guidelines. Avoid trouble, or a blob of piping hot soup landing on your toes, and wear closed shoes like a pair of sneakers or clogs from L&A Safety.

->Always wear an apron
Working in a canteen is a messy business, so cover up your clothes with an apron. Make sure it is ideally suited, and get a high-quality one from L&A Safety.

What are some other fail-safe tips for surviving life in the canteen?

A guide to chemical protective clothing

When working in a research laboratory, there may be exposure to dangerous chemicals, so your health and well-being is a vital concern. Whether it is chemical protective clothing for the field or while lab coats for the lab, your safety is easy to maintain as long as you have the right clothing.

The major area of concern when it comes to chemical exposure is contact with your eyes and skin. Your eyes will be protected with safety goggles, and your skin is protected with chemical protective clothing. Think of what a scientist would usually wear – pocket protectors and a white coat.

White lab coats protect from exposure to harmful chemical dust, so a dust mask needs to be worn to prevent inhalation of chemicals. Disposable chemical protective clothing can also provide protection, especially against splashes. For workers who use spray resins or paints, full body garments prevent any skin exposure or transfer of chemicals.

The best feature of these items is of course their disposable nature. Most disposable clothing garments are made from recycled content, which provides safety while being affordable. These pieces of disposable clothing can be discarded after use to minimize cleaning costs, especially in automotive painting, machine shop operations and chemical cleanup.

Depending on your work environment, the level and target areas of exposure vary. The protective clothing items will also differ. From protective hoods, shoes, gloves and sleeves to white coats, pants and full body suits. No matter what you’re wearing, when exposure occurs, you must dispose of the protective garment.

If your job involves exposure to harmful chemicals, always make sure you wear the right chemical protective clothing!

For a wide range of personal protection equipment and clothing, take a look at L&A Safety's website, or visit them at one of their branches in Milnerton, Robertson or Vredenburg!