Huntsman Polyurethanes aims to advance knowledge of anti-slip soles
09/09/2014
Belgium-based Huntsman Polyurethanes’ dedicated footwear team has been working closely with partners from Heinrich Klumpen for some months. Together the two companies have conducted a comprehensive industry-wide analysis of slip-resistance technologies, focusing specifically on footwear soles.
From their findings the partners have created a complete set of best practice guidelines for the design and development of safety footwear soles to meet international standards and to deliver a high level of safety performance in a range of workplace environments.
Slip prevention is a major challenge throughout industry, Huntsman Polyurethanes said on announcing the development. According to the UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE) slip and trip injuries were the most commonly reported incident during the 2012-13 financial year, accounting for three in every ten accident reports. “Often slips can be caused by footwear that has insufficient grip, exposing employees to risk and employers to costs and legal consequences,” the company said.
Currently, manufacturers of safety footwear must prove that the slip resistance of their footwear conforms to the EN ISO 13287 standard. This can mean calling in additional expertise to ensure that the correct material and sole design combinations are used.
Some common misconceptions about footwear soles prevail. Many people believe that softer soles improve slip resistance. However, in some conditions, they can actually increase risk, Huntsman Polyurethanes continued. In dry environments sole softness can help to improve grip but it is well known that preventing slips in wet environments requires far more attention. Here, harder materials can be beneficial but only if the design of the sole has been considered carefully. The new study offers definitive guidance on how manufacturers can ensure that their footwear is precisely optimized for the conditions where they will be worn.
Johan Van Dyck, Footwear Platform Manager at Huntsman, said: “Workplace safety is paramount, yet all too often [workers have] inadequate footwear. Together with our partners we took a holistic approach, investigating how different soling materials can be adapted for different workplace conditions. This included scrutinising soling designs, something that’s as important as the material choices made. By combining our expertise our intention is to advance sector knowledge of slip resistance dynamics, set new quality standards and raise awareness across the footwear industry about best practice.”
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