12 april 2022

Practical advice & expertise

DON’T SKIMP ON SAFETY FOR DIY

DIY and home renovations are not risk-free. Every year, many people injure themselves doing DIY, forgetting that they are exposed to various dangers. That's why, for you DIY enthusiasts, we're going to explain why and how to protect yourself.

PROTECTING YOURSELF WITH PPE

When you are doing DIY at home, we recommend you wear PPE. The acronym "PPE" stands for personal protective equipment. According to the Labour Code, PPE is defined as "devices or tools to be worn or held by a person to protect them from one or more risks likely to endanger their health or safety". Protective equipment protects different parts of the body and can take a variety of forms: goggles, gloves, earplugs, breathing apparatus, safety shoes, etc.

This equipment is mainly intended for professional use, i.e. for high-risk jobs (mechanical, electrical, chemical, etc.), but is also highly recommended for people doing DIY at home.

Wearing personal protective equipment will help you avoid injury when doing DIY around the house.

Find out more about PPE in our dedicated article. Click here

SAFETY SHOES

Let's take a closer look at the possible injuries to which feet can be exposed. When you're doing DIY or home improvements, you think about making everything safe except one part of your body: your feet!

Why? Because feet are the part of the body furthest from the field of vision but not the least exposed to risk. Stepping on a nail, dropping a tool or something heavy like a brick on your foot are examples of incidents that can easily happen. With "ordinary" or "everyday" footwear, your feet will not be protected from crushing or penetration by sharp objects.

Here is a list of injuries that can affect your feet:

- Dropping heavy objects (tools), dangerous objects (chemicals) or hot objects (hot iron) resulting in broken, cracked or crushed bones, burns, cuts or other incidents of varying degrees of severity. As an indication, the fall of a brick weighing between 3.5 and 7 kg could certainly dislocate a toe.

- Slips and falls caused by soles that are too smooth.
- Splinters, nails, screws and other objects in the soles of the feet, leading to punctures and more or less serious injuries.
- Cuts caused by awkward movements or misuse of a machine or tool.
- Accidental electrocution by touching an electric wire.

It goes without saying that safety footwear is THE essential product for protection against all kinds of injuries.

Wearing safety shoes will also ensure that your feet are well supported and that your posture is good. When you do DIY, you often stand for long periods, which can lead to fatigue and even musculoskeletal problems.

Say goodbye to fatigue and hello to working in better conditions!

You can also avoid slips and falls with safety shoes. In fact, safety shoes undergo a slip test to confirm their grip and slip-resistance.

At Parade Protection, you'll have a choice of low safety shoes, safety ankle boots, trainers or sneakers, women's safety shoes, lightweight safety shoes and much more... Go to the section of the menu you need!

As you can see, wearing safety shoes could prevent a number of accidents and, in the worst case scenario, save you a trip to the emergency room.

HOW DO I CHOOSE MY SAFETY SHOES?

Before ordering your safety footwear, you must consider everything around you:

- Your general work environment: indoors or outdoors, extreme temperatures (cold or hot), slippery floors, etc.
- The hazards there: tools and materials used, chemical products, etc.
- Your movements: if you are working on the ground (crouching), with a ladder, with machinery...

Standards

Footwear for professional use is subject to European certification. Standards are derived from this certification. Standard EN ISO 20345 defines the requirements for safety footwear. Standard EN ISO 20347 defines the requirements for work footwear. These standards are based on test standards (test methods) to check that footwear complies with the requirements.

EN ISO 20345 (safety footwear) differs from EN ISO 20347 (work footwear) in that it has a toe cap that protects the front of the foot and resists impact and crushing. The toe cap of safety shoes is capable of withstanding shocks of up to 200 joules. Protective footwear (standard EN ISO 20346) also has a toecap, but this is resistant to 100 joules, compared with 200 joules for the protective toecap on safety footwear (EN ISO 20345).

To recap:

-safety footwear (EN ISO 20345) has a protective toecap that withstands shocks of 200 joules. This corresponds to an object weighing 20 kg falling from a height of one metre, or crushing (at zero drop height) of a force equivalent to 1,500 kg.

-protective footwear (EN ISO 20346) has a protective toecap that withstands impacts of 100 joules. This corresponds to a 10 kg object falling from a height of one metre.

-work shoes(EN ISO 20347) have no protective toecap.

If you're doing DIY, the EN ISO 20345 standard for safety footwear is the one you need.

The choice of materials used to make safety footwear is of great consequence. The materials used in the construction of the various components must comply with the requirements of the working environment and the needs of the user (comfort, breathability, etc.).

Let's look at the materials used in the upper: the part of the shoe that covers the foot. At Parade Protection, the uppers of our shoes can be made of leather, microfibre, fabric and much more.

-Leather is comfortable, strong, insulating and breathable.

-Microfibre is supple and therefore comfortable. It has a natural resistance to the penetration of liquids and is very easy to clean.

-Fabrics are breathable and comfortable. In terms of aesthetics, there are a number of possible designs.

For a complete article on the benefits of different safety shoe materials, click here.

Another component to consider when choosing safety footwear is the insert. The insert is a piece of midsole placed in the outer sole of the safety shoe. Its role is to protect the soles of your feet against the risk of punctures or cuts from the ground.

Inserts can be metallic or non-metallic.

Steel (metal) plates are renowned for being extremely hard-wearing but rather rigid if you're working in a crouched position. Fabric (non-metallic) puncture-resistant materials, on the other hand, are recognised as being more flexible and providing better thermal insulation.

To find the safety shoe that's right for you, you need to take into account your environment, the hazards present in your DIY area and your movements. At Parade Protection we offer a complete range of safety shoes to meet all your needs. So if you have any questions, feel free to write to us on social media or click on the "contact" tab here.

SECOND-HAND SAFETY SHOES: A BAD IDEA

The idea of buying second-hand safety shoes may already have crossed your mind for the sake of your bank balance or the planet. Here we explain why it's a bad idea that can put you in danger.

- After wearing, shoes change shape and adapt to the wearer, the materials give a little, particularly leather, and the insole 'moulds' to the shape of the wearer's foot. Every person has their own unique gait, and the shoe as a whole changes to fit the wearer's feet. One part of the shoe wears in particular as you walk: the sole.

The imprint left in each shoe is different, because every foot is unique.

To find out more about the vocabulary of safety shoe components click here.

- Wearing a pair of damaged or misshapen shoes can lead to knee, hip and back pain, as well as the risk of sprained ankles... In short, shape changes in the safety shoe caused by the previous user can trigger musculoskeletal problems.

Non-contractual illustration

- People who buy second-hand shoes may have to change the insole. The insole must be replaced with a comparable insole supplied by the original shoe manufacturer. It is important to recognise that the addition of an insole may affect the protective properties of the shoes.

- Hygiene is also of paramount importance. Did you know that feet are one of the parts of the body that perspire the most? And yes, over the course of a day, your feet perspire 200ml per foot - that's the equivalent of a glass of water! The perfect place for fungi and bacteria: damp, warm and dark. That's why shoes need to be disinfected. Hygiene has a direct impact on comfort in your shoes.

- In terms of safety, toe protection may also be affected if the toe cap has already been subjected to impact or crushing.

For all these reasons, but above all for YOUR safety, we advise you not to buy your safety shoes from second-hand websites such as VINTED, GUMTREE, etc. It goes without saying you should opt for new safety shoes to ensure maximum protection and safety.

AND WHAT ABOUT WORKWEAR?

For all types of DIY: painting, plumbing, renovations, small-scale carpentry and so on, we recommend you wear workwear. Workwear allows you to work in comfort and also keeps your clothes clean.

ZOOM ON OUR WORK TROUSERS AND OVERALLS

Protect your legs from chafing, cuts and splashes with our work trousers and/or overalls. With their abrasion-resistant reinforcements, these trousers will stand up to whatever you throw at them. What's more, our BRAKEL, BRASOV, BATURA, BOREAL, BOMBAY and BENXI trousers feature abrasion-resistant knee reinforcements and knee-pad pockets. You can insert knee pads in these pockets, ideal if you're doing DIY while kneeling.

Home DIY is not without risks. Protect yourself by wearing Parade Protection safety shoes and workwear adapted to your DIY environment and your needs.

With the complete DIY kit, accidents are a thing of the past!

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