The best waterproof shoes for your work environment

WATERPROOF WORK SHOES ARE NOT JUST FOR RAIN

 

Your feet need to be well protected from outside influences such as cold and water, especially at work, where we usually spend quite a lot of our time.

The typical working environment for work shoes that come into contact with liquids is not limited to rain, however. They may come into contact with meltwater, snow, steam, mixtures of water and acids, chemicals, oil, soaps or organic liquids.

 

Work shoes marked "water-resistant" provide the highest level of protection against liquids. The requirements for water-resistant or waterproof work shoes depend on how they are used; for example, the level of water resistance for an everyday safety shoe differs from that required for a military boot, which is mostly fully waterproof.

 

TESTING WATER RESISTANCE

The level of water resistance of a water-resistant work shoe is tested on a dynamic (flexing) footwear water resistance testing machine.

The water-resistant work shoe is fixed to a mechanical foot and placed in a container of coloured water to a defined depth (approximately 20 mm) above the feather line of the work shoe. The footwear is then flexed at a constant speed and at the same angle, while at intervals it is checked for (potential) water penetration into the waterproof work footwear.

 

The flexing represents simplified walking and is designed to simulate flexing stresses in the main areas known to be weak points. The cyclical lifting of the toe causes realistic splashing of water over the parts of the forefoot that are not submerged.

In addition to testing the water-resistant construction of the shoe, the test can also reveal any capillary effects that may cause water to penetrate through the upper part of the lining of water-resistant work shoes. Standard EN20345 requires at least 4,800 flexes to meet the water resistance requirement.

 

 

WATERPROOF SHOES ARE NOT NECESSARILY NON-BREATHABLE

The main point of buying waterproof work shoes is that your feet stay dry and fresh. Good waterproof work shoes even allow breathability to prevent sweating when the working environment involves high temperatures, along with solid insulation in snowy, damp or rainy areas as well. In the design of water-resistant work boots, the water-resistant properties can be improved by using a waterproof membrane layer between the lining and the upper material.

 

Various fabrics are used to make the water-resistant lining, but it is the way the fabrics are woven together that gives work footwear its water-resistant and breathable element. In addition to keeping water out, the waterproof membrane also provides climate comfort for the feet, meaning a degree of breathability that prevents overheating and dampening of the feet through sweating.

 

 

At UTG Vodnik we believe the waterproof membrane alone is not what matters. For complete comfort of the waterproof membrane in a work shoe, we also like to pay attention to other critical elements that ensure ideal climate control for the feet in a water-resistant work shoe:

• the construction of the waterproof shoe itself must be completely sealed
• the assembly of the waterproof shoe between the lining and the upper: no excess sealing adhesive and no paths created by design details such as trims, foams or other fabrics.
• the right choice of upper material, which breathes, does not let moisture through and is water-resistant.

 

You can view our waterproof and water-resistant work shoes in our online store here, or come and try them on in our store in Vir near Domžale. We will gladly help you find the footwear and other equipment that best suits you and your working environment.