CHEMICAL-RESISTANT BOOTS COMFORT & SAFETY SOLUTIONS PROTECTION AND COMFORT YOU DESERVE

Transcription

1 CHEMICAL-RESISTANT BOOTS COMFORT & SAFETY SOLUTIONS PROTECTION AND COMFORT YOU DESERVE

2 CONTENT The risks of working with chemicals 3 What are the requirements for chemical-resistant boots? 4 What standard applies to chemical-resistant boots? 4 How are chemical-resistant boots which give good protection identified? 5 Specific standard for chemical-resistant safety boots 5 Different product? Different standard! 5 What tests are carried out on chemical resistant boots? 5 What does certification tell us about chemical-resistant boots? 6 EN 13832: certified chemicals versus data available 6 EN : ESD boots 6 Protect yourself with ESD boots 7 More information? 8

3 THE RISKS OF WORKING WITH CHEMICALS Not every chemical is dangerous or toxic, but many are. So you must be careful when handling, using, combining or storing them. Toxic chemicals pose a danger to the health of workers in industry. Hazardous materials in chemical plants have been responsible for illnesses, injuries and even fatal accidents ever since they were first used. Risks include skin injuries and infections, allergies, asthma, chemical burns, reproductive problems, birth defects, suffocation, various types of cancer, and even death. Hazardous materials can take four physical forms: gases/vapours, liquids, dust or solids. The form affects how a material can enter the body, and consequently how much damage it can inflict. Your employees must be protected against spills, leaks or inhalation of hazardous materials. It is essential to use the right safety equipment, and ensure it is maintained. Boots, more specifically chemical-resistant boots, are a crucial part of this. PROTECTION AND COMFORT YOU DESERVE

4 WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR CHEMICAL-RESISTANT BOOTS? Boots suitable for situations where chemicals are used are called chemical-resistant boots. These boots must meet a number of conditions. Generally, safety boots must be waterproof, abraision-resistant and have steel toe-caps. In terms of chemical protection, they must be resistant to permeation by hazardous substances: these may not penetrate boots. WHAT STANDARD APPLIES TO CHEMICAL-RESISTANT BOOTS? To be sure that you are using boots that protect well against the substances you work with, check the certification given to the boots. There are various European standards in this area. PART I EN :2006 Terminology and test methods PART II EN :2006 Requirements for footwear resistant to chemicals under laboratory conditions. Centred on degradation, certification follows if the results are met for 2 or more chemicals. PART III EN :2006 Requirements for footwear highly resistant to chemicals under laboratory conditions. In addition to degradation, permeation times are also measured. Certification follows if both the degradation and permeation results are met for 3 or more chemicals.

5 HOW ARE CHEMICAL-RESISTANT BOOTS WHICH GIVE GOOD PROTECTION IDENTIFIED? (EN :2006) An industrial company may well use a wide range of chemicals, but a number of hazardous chemicals are especially often used in the chemical sector. The EN :2006 standard lists 15 chemicals selected by internationally recognised bodies as the most common chemicals used in this sector. Specific standard for chemical-resistant safety boots EU-certified safety boots are identified by the EN-ISO standard. If a pair of boots also meets the European EN :2006 standard, they are certified as safety boots with chemical protection. This standard states that test methods and minimum values must show that the boots are resistant to at least 3 of the 15 most common chemicals. Different product? Different standard! The EN :2006 standard is specifically for chemical-resistant footwear. If other personal protective equipment (PPE) is tested for chemical resistance, it will be certified according to a different standard. For example, the EN-ISO 374 standard covers gloves that offer protection against chemicals, while protective overalls must comply with the EN 943 standard. These standards are not the same, and certification on your boots does not necessarily mean your gloves will protect you as well - the converse is also true. If you are in doubt, always ask for the specific boot certification. EN ISO EN :2006 EN ISO 374 EN 943 What tests are carried out on chemical resistant boots? To be awarded EN certification, boots must successfully pass degradation and permeation tests. What does that mean? Degradation measures the physical deterioration of the material. What happens to the material when it comes into contact with a chemical? The material might swell, or it might become harder, stiffer, more brittle or weaker. In the worst case, the material could even dissolve. Permeation measures the time a substance needs to completely penetrate the boot material. This is called the permeation time. The EN standard has 5 performance levels which record and communicate this: Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class 4 Class min min min min > 1921 min PROTECTION AND COMFORT YOU DESERVE

6 WHAT DOES CERTIFICATION TELL US ABOUT CHEMICAL-RESISTANT BOOTS? Safety boots must always state the safety standard or standards they are certified for. In Europe, they must in any case comply with the general EN standard for safety boots (EN-ISO 20345). However, boots can also be awarded multiple certification. What exactly do the standards say? How do you know what standard your boots meet? EN 13832: certified chemicals versus data available In addition to the general EN standard for safety boots (EN-ISO 20345), certified chemical-resistant boots must also comply with the EN standard, clearly indicating the certified chemicals resulting from the tests. Additional chemicals may only be added to the certification if the boots pass the test requirements for degradation and permeation. We also call these certified chemicals. This does not mean that these boots are unsafe and cannot be used around other chemicals. In addition to the certified chemicals, there are many chemicals for which there is data available. This means that official bodies are familiar with boot permeation times concerning these chemicals. In this case the boots are not officially certified for the substance, but there is data available about it. This means that if you come into contact with a substance that is not included in the list of 15 chemicals in the EN standard, the boots may nevertheless offer protection against it. If you want to be 100% sure that the boots protect you against the specific chemicals you are working with, it is important to carry out a full risk assessment. More information? Please contact the distributor or a member of Dunlop Protective Footwear INFO@DUNLOPBOOTS.COM EN : ESD boots In addition to the general EU standard and the EU standard for chemical resistance, boots can be certified according to a third EU standard: EN , class 2. This is the European standard for ESD boots, where ESD stans for electrostatic discharge. What does that mean? Electrostatic discharge is a physical phenomenon that we can observe at any time. ESD occurs when objects with a potential difference are brought close together. It one of these objects is a person, you get a shock. Under normal circumstances, static electricity and ESD are only slightly irritating, and the familiar electric shock is not harmful. However, at high voltages, it becomes dangerous. We feel a shock when the voltage is above 3,000 volts; from 5,000 volts you can hear the discharge, and from 10,000 volts a spark is visible. If the voltage is high enough, the electrostatic discharge can ignite flammable mixtures or damage electronic parts.

7 Protect yourself with ESD boots If you work in an industrial environment where electrostatic discharge can ignite flammable mixtures or damage electronic components, then ESD-certified boots that are specially designed for such environments are essential. The structure of these boots has relatively little electrical resistance, so there are always channels through which electricity can flow down into the ground. The range of electrical resistance is narrower than that of antistatic footwear, which further reduces the risk of ESD. DUNLOP HAZGUARD ULTRA DUNLOP ACIFORT HAZGUARD DUNLOP ACIFORT HEAVY DUTY ASTM F EH EN ISO 20345:2011 S5 SRA AN EN ISO 20345:2011 S5 SRA AN CSA Z Ω EN :2006 J-K-O-P-Q-R and L (50% conc.) ESD: EN , cl 2 NFPA 1991:2016 ESD: EN , cl 2 PROTECTION AND COMFORT YOU DESERVE

8 MORE INFORMATION? CONTACT DUNLOP PROTECTIVE FOOTWEAR