Why the Material of Your Boots is a Matter of Health

Every year, huge investments are made in procedures, tools, and techniques in order to improve productivity. Working environment questions have also the focus of innovations, especially in open-pit mines. There is an infinite number of challenges in the mining sector; detection of the composition of air to avoid blasts, collapsing of sites, the need to reduce diesel exhaust to improve air quality, the improvement of machinery for better temperature control, etc.

People have become more aware of the dangers they encounter and this is why caompanies are always seeking innovative solutions to improve the level of safety of the working environment while still considering workers’ health.

Many chemicals are used in order to extract and use minerals: cyanide, sulphuric acid, caustic and other alkali solutions, hydrogen peroxide, nitric acid, etc. To manipulate these chemicals safely, workers need to have appropriate training and also to wear the right protection if there is skin exposure, the consequences can be serious: skin irritations, high-degree skin burns, body limb damages, etc.

Since mines constitute a hostile environment, workers must be prepared to face any type of dangerous situations. Workers’ equipment must be as adequate as possible to stand up to danger from head to feet. Workers that are regularly exposed to different types of chemicals must wear boots that will protect them in case of an accident. Not all boots are resistant to chemicals.

CHEMTECH Offers Better Foot Protection

STC Footwear has developed an advanced technology called CHEMTECH that reunites the comfort and the finish of leather with the advantage of being waterproof and resistant to several chemicals. This technology goes through 22 different tests to ensure the material has a higher level of resistance in several situations. To make sure safety is maximized, STC uses two layers of this material, which are strongly assembled. This technique offers a product that has a high performance and will also be long-lasting.

In case of an accident with chemicals that have been tested with the CHEMTECH technology, the foot will not suffer from any contamination or burns, and the boot will not break down. The CHEMTECH membrane is non-porous and waterproof, which also makes it very easy to maintain.

To sum it up, CHEMTECH is highly recommended in hostile environments, thanks to its waterproof and long-lasting features.

The Benefits of CHEMTEC

More Protection From STC Footwear

Protection against chemicals is only one of the many challenges in mining environment. STC Footwear also provides protection against punctures, with its high-performing toe protector and puncture-resistant insole. METATECH® 360° metguard protection is also used to protect the top and the sides of the foot. Technologies such as the LOCK-FIT ANKLE SUPPORT SYSTEM® and highly slip-resistant outsoles are used to prevent falls leading to injuries and accidents, while increasing comfort of the users.

Each product of STC Footwear is designed to increase the protection and the comfort of workers.

	Fat	Very good
	Grease	Very good
	Animal blood	Very good
	NaOH (50%)	Very good
	Caustic and other Alkali solution	Very good
	Low concentration Phosphoricacid	Very good
	Glacial acetic acid (95 %)	Moderate
	Hydrogen Peroxide (18 %)	Very good
	Nitric acid (30 %)	Good

Learn More at www.stcfootwear.com.

Sources

Mining Life & Exploration News magazine; Summer 2018
Mining.com; Developing Health and Safety in Mines
International Mining; Significantly More Efficient Copper Extraction with Hydrogen Peroxide
Hesperian Health Guides; Safety at Mine Sites
Hesperian Health Guides; Chemicals Used in Mining
Evonik Industries; Applications of Hydrogen Peroxide
Mining.com; The Use of Hydrogen Peroxide Can Solve an Old Mining Problem
PREVOR; Risk of Chemical Spraying in the Mining Industry
Montagne d’Or; Cyanide and Other Chemicals
Safe Drinking Water Foundation; Mining and Water Pollution
Australian Mining; Workers’ Foot Cooked with Caustic Soda
WebMD; Hydrogen Peroxide Solution, Non-
SCIENCING; How to Refine Gold with Nitric Acid
University of Washington EH&S; Nitric Acid Incident on Campus

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those of Canadian Mining Magazine / Matrix Group Publishing Inc.

Why the Material of Your Boots is a Matter of Health