Composite toe work boots

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GlennH

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Just got a pair of composite toe workboots and really like them but I was wondering about something.

I have worked at places that have you step on a "metal detector" to prove that you have steel tip shoes on before you are allowed to enter their building. Are composite toe boots an acceptable alternative and was wondering if anybody else has run into this? thanks
 

GoldDigger

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Location
Placerville, CA, USA
Occupation
Retired PV System Designer
Just got a pair of composite toe workboots and really like them but I was wondering about something.

I have worked at places that have you step on a "metal detector" to prove that you have steel tip shoes on before you are allowed to enter their building. Are composite toe boots an acceptable alternative and was wondering if anybody else has run into this? thanks
From the website of one supplier:
Footwear made with either of these toe caps are tested to the same ASTM F2413-05 Standard Impact & Compression requirements.

Whether the job requires ASTM rated boots (to satisfy OSHA, etc.) or actual steel-toed boots (and do they have the discretion to do that?) seems to be the question.
You might be able to bypass the metal detector if you carried the certification document for the boots with you. :)
 

GoldDigger

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Location
Placerville, CA, USA
Occupation
Retired PV System Designer
Can you even get EH rated boots with steel toes now? I thought I had read they are no longer making them with steel toes.

If all manufacturers have stopped rather than just some, then the National Safety Council has not caught up to that yet:

When it comes to safety toes, EH-rated boots can have steel or composite toes. A common misconception is that metal in a boot is bad when working around electricity. The reality is, metal is conductive when it is in contact with other metal. Metal safety-toe caps, steel shanks, etc., are enclosed by non-conductive materials (often leather, rubber, insulation, etc.) and are therefore safe to wear in environments where live circuits are present.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Just got a pair of composite toe workboots and really like them but I was wondering about something.

I have worked at places that have you step on a "metal detector" to prove that you have steel tip shoes on before you are allowed to enter their building. Are composite toe boots an acceptable alternative and was wondering if anybody else has run into this? thanks

If they have you step on a metal detector and you have any metal anywhere in the shoe will you pass the test? Or do they specifically test the toe area?
 
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