When we talk about labor protection products, we may first think of helmets, seat belts, and gloves. Safety shoes and protective boots, which are used to protect workers' feet, are often overlooked. In fact, because laborers use tools, operate machinery, carry materials, etc., their feet are usually at the lowest position in their working posture, and they are exposed to bulky, hard, angular objects at any time, resulting in bruising or stabbing. Squeeze; on the other hand, if the foot does not stand still, the body will lose its balance and disrupt the normal operation posture, which may cause an accident. From this point of view, protecting the safety equipment of the foot becomes even more important. According to the working conditions and the use of specially made suitable protective footwear, it is possible to prevent foot injuries. But do you have a pair of "safety shoes"?

Do you understand the function of protective footwear?

At present, the more common protective footwear include: safety shoes, insulated shoes, anti-static and conductive shoes, steel-making shoes and shoe covers, cold shoes, etc., as well as shoe soles suitable for road construction workers, which are suitable for heat insulation of construction workers. Reinforced, food-resistant, brewers' soles, protective footwear, etc. The function of the protective footwear is mainly set for the working environment and conditions, and generally has the functions of anti-slip, anti-piercing, anti-squeezing, and the other has a specific function, such as anti-conductive, anti-corrosion and the like.

It is understood that at present, there are tens of thousands of production safety accidents occurring every year in China's industrial and mining business enterprises, and more than 10,000 people have died. In addition, occupational hazards are very serious. At present, there are more than 16 million toxic and harmful enterprises in China, and more than 200 million people are harmed by occupational diseases. To reduce casualties and reduce occupational hazards, in addition to establishing and improving various responsibility systems, increasing investment in safety funds, and improving safety conditions and facilities, it is also necessary to improve the standard system of individual protective equipment, increase the level of personal protective equipment, and enhance the self- Protection ability.

Why do some workers wear slippers at work?

If you don’t wear a safety helmet, when you are injured accidentally, because of injury to the head, it is likely to cause serious injury or even death; but without wearing protective footwear, the damage will be much lighter and will rarely endanger To life. It is also for this reason that correct wear of protective footwear is often overlooked by workers.

When interviewed by reporters, Cheng Hao, a senior engineer at the National Labor Protection Supply Quality Supervision and Inspection Center, said that when they went to the construction site to inspect, they found that many workers wore sneakers and even slippers. According to regulations, workers at construction sites must wear protective toe safety shoes according to their work needs. Such shoes can effectively avoid external injuries such as crushing of hard objects and metal objects due to the presence of steel toe caps. However, the sneakers or slippers worn by workers do not protect the toes at all.

According to statistics, after more than 50 years of development, China's personal protective equipment industry has become an industry with relatively complete categories, relatively stable production, supply and sales, and a rich variety of products. It can basically meet the needs of production and play a role in reducing casualties and safeguarding the health of employees. An important role. However, due to various reasons, such as lagging concepts, personal protective equipment has been neglected by most people. In particular, labor protection products that are not related to the safety of their lives are particularly neglected. Some workers think that work clothes and shoes and hats are just for uniform dress, or the way the unit’s welfare is embodied, and some personal protective equipment does not meet the needs of modern production. This leads to personal protective equipment, including safety footwear. Not be taken seriously.

It is understood that for a long time, the personal protective equipment industry has been underinvested and slow in development compared with other high-tech industries and developed industries. Some of the company’s major high-tech, high-standard products have been exported. As an example, Sunflower International Group (China) Co., Ltd., which entered the field of personal protection in 2000 and has been the first exporter of PVC industrial and mining boots in China for the past five years, derives most of its business volume from exports to Europe. Relevant person in charge said that they are not unwilling to sell in the domestic market, but only limited to domestic enterprises in labor protection equipment, less investment, the implementation of national laws and regulations, regulations are not enforced enough, industry standards lagging behind.

Cheng Hao also said that one of the problems that restricts the development of protective footwear in China is the cost of shoes. Looking at the current background, the price that companies that buy protective shoes can accept is still at a relatively low level, and the low price also determines the cost of the product, resulting in the quality of cheap labor insurance shoes can not pass.

New standards need to be developed

In fact, China's step-by-step approach to EU standards and ISO standards in personal protective equipment has not stopped. However, as society progresses, people are increasingly demanding the variety and quality of personal protective equipment. This is the development of personal protective equipment products. Provides space and puts higher requirements on its standards.

As early as 1988, the former National Standardization Technical Committee for Labor Protective Products carried out a study on the standard system of labor protection articles. Due to several changes in the organization, labor protection standards have not reached the expected goal. With China's accession to the WTO, changes in ISO standards, and the current need for safe production work, new requirements have been put forward for standards for personal protective equipment.

It is reported that China has formulated and promulgated a series of national and industrial standards in the field of personal protective equipment, and some national standards are in the process of being formulated.

Regarding the standards concerning safety footwear, in December 2005, four national standards drafted (revised) were presided over by the Wuhan Institute of Safety and Environmental Protection of the China Iron and Steel Group. The four standards were "Personal Protective Equipment - Shoe Testing." "Methods", "Personal Protective Equipment - Safety Shoes", "Personal Protective Equipment - Protective Shoes" and "Personal Protective Equipment - Professional Shoes" passed the National Standardization Technical Committee for Personal Protective Equipment in Xiamen, Fujian (CSBTS/TC112) The validation of the organization. These four standards cover national quality testing methods and specific quality standards as important personal protective equipment footwear. The completion of the system of four standards (repairs) is of great significance to promoting the improvement of the quality of our footwear protection equipment and achieving international standards.

The National Labor Protection Products Quality Supervision and Inspection Center, Cheng Hao, told reporters that the new standards for these four protective footwear were completed in 2006. These four standards, including safety shoes, protective shoes, and professional shoes, have greatly changed from the original standards (including the "General Specifications for Electrically Insulating Shoes" and "General Specifications for Oil-resistant Protective Shoes"). The original national standard is an industry standard and is the standard of the ALD Ministry of Labor issued by the Ministry of Labor. It focuses on the protection of toes and does not embody comprehensive protective functions. In the original standard, in addition to the "General Technical Conditions for Electrically Insulating Shoes," the rest of the standards will be replaced by new standards.

Cheng Hao said that safety shoes and protective shoes standards are very different from the original standards, mainly reflected in the original standard shoes involved in a relatively single function, but because the workplace is very complex, on-site protection of the foot should be versatile; The new standard adopts international standards, namely ISO standards, which are consistent with European standards. In addition, safety shoes and protective shoes have added additional functions on the original basis. For professional shoes, shoes that do not have toe protection function are mainly embodied in a comprehensive protection function, which is higher than the current domestic standards.

She said that the new standard has not yet been implemented. Because it is necessary to notify the WTO for three months, it is reported that the standard has been submitted in June, and it is estimated that it will be replied in September, after which it will be confirmed and then officially implemented.

What changes will the new standard bring?

Will the new standard bring great changes to the domestic enterprises that manufacture safety footwear? Cheng Hao said that the implementation of the new standard is mainly a test of the technological capabilities of enterprises. China is a big country producing shoes, and some large shoe-making enterprises in Guangdong and Tianjin are mainly export-oriented products. Therefore, they all have reached international standards and EU standards, and there should be no problems in the implementation of the new standards.

The new standard emphasizes not only the protective performance, but also the higher requirements in terms of physical mechanics and comfort, that is, more humanity. This also leads to an increase in the cost of safety shoes. It can be expected that some small companies will fail due to increased costs or fail to meet relevant standards. Some large companies and enterprises with sufficient production capacity can offset the effects of increased costs because they can increase their output. Better development.

However, due to the small scale of production, some other domestic companies may still have workshop-style production methods. The performance of safety shoes manufactured is not stable enough, and the quality control in certain areas needs to be strengthened.

What kind of shoes to wear?

There is a lack of supervision on what type of protective footwear to wear. Cheng Hao said that this is one of the causes of the accident. The lack of supervision led to accidents, or the workers suffered more injuries when the accident occurred.

She said that for the user, what kind of shoes should be worn, and what kind of protective function the shoes need according to professional needs, such work is not monitored by anyone. Some companies have security personnel to inspect, but their strength is often not reached, or the security staff can not find the workers failed protective footwear.

Another purpose of supervision is to check whether the shoes meet professional requirements. Cheng Hao stated that companies and companies generally pass labor insurance companies when purchasing labor insurance products. Even large enterprises do not necessarily contact the manufacturers directly to purchase products. That is to say whether labor insurance companies can meet the requirements for quality control of goods purchased. One of the problems. The lack of supervision of such work has also led to the flow of some unqualified labor protection products into the hands of users. (Li Caiqin)

(China Labor Insurance Network)