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John J  
#1 Posted : 23 August 2012 13:24:58(UTC)
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John J

Can anyone point me towards any guidance or best practice on the type of footwear that a scaffolder would ideally wear?
wobblemouth  
#2 Posted : 23 August 2012 13:55:37(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
wobblemouth

I used to work for scaffold contractor. We issued steel toe capped boots – with steel mid-sole, to conform to EN20345.
PH2  
#3 Posted : 23 August 2012 15:34:33(UTC)
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PH2

I agree with previous posting: google "Rigger's Boots" (to same EN standard).
CliveLowery  
#4 Posted : 23 August 2012 16:37:20(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
CliveLowery

Hi John, EN20345 is where you want to be looking. Basically though EN 20345 has toe protection has been tested to 200 joules. EN20346 is only tested to 100 joules There will also be additional markings on the label (usually on the tongue) you should be looking for "EN 20345 S3" this means that the footwear has Toe protection to 200 Joules and has MidSole protection as standard. It also has water penetration resistance, which for scaffolder working outside I would say is a must! There are other markings to look out for such as S1 which does not have the water resistance and will only have midsole protection if there is a "P" ie S1P. Also bear in mind that the majority of the UKCG are banning the use of rigger boots as they do not believe they provide suitable ankle support. If you need any more info PM me with an email address and I'll see if I can find a TBT explaining it all at operative level. Regards Clive
bob youel  
#5 Posted : 24 August 2012 08:09:38(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
bob youel

back to a suitable and significant risk assessment as that will give you the answer one job I was on required very flexible footwear as foot grip was a VIP factor -in this case the best shoes were trainers without toe caps which were worn at height in specific areas and when away from that area the lads changed into standard issue protective trainers or boots --- a rare case but managed and worked well noting that real ergonomic issues are VIP issues but rarely fully evaluated
John J  
#6 Posted : 24 August 2012 09:06:52(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
John J

Apologies I should have been clearer but my main query but it's partially touched on. I'm asking as we had a close call with an ankle injury whilst riggers boots were being worn. As stated they offer little or no ankle support. Basically I'm looking for a scaffold trade association to give me a steer. Bob, thanks for pointing out the need to risk assess but can you tell me what a VIP factor and VIP issues are?
bob youel  
#7 Posted : 24 August 2012 10:39:02(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
bob youel

I was not in any way being funny when referencing the RA - As I know you have picked up and I should have used VIF [very important factor] and/or VIP [very important point] both of which were brought up in the RA concerned with teh job noted Rigger boots: Whilst being a great advocate of rigger boots and I wear them in preference to all else they are not, in my personal view, OK in all circumstances especially so when old and some of the latest safety trainers provide both secure grip of foot and surface and protection of foot - staff sometimes also need to be trained how to walk as the ankle if used/respected properly is a great natural invention which can be very strong
John J  
#8 Posted : 24 August 2012 10:59:59(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
John J

Bob, I was not suggesting you were being funny! I looked up VIP on acronym finder to see if I could find anything in relation to this type of work and a few could have loosely fitted so I was trying to understand what you were referring to. I didn't suspect it was a typo, John
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