Overshoes

Work shoes

When it comes to PPE for the feet, there are safety shoes and overshoes. These are designed to be worn over regular shoes. Wearing them is recommended, whether in industry or in the healthcare sector. This is why there are different kinds to meet all needs.

Why use overshoes?

Wearing overshoes or shoe covers are essential in sterile environments or clean rooms, in order to preserve the place and prevent the particles from spreading. To avoid removing shoes in clean areas such as laboratories, medical fields, food industries or the microelectronics sector, specific equipment must be worn, including overshoes.

The introduction into sterile environments without overshoes or with overshoes but which do not respect the standards leads to negative consequences. In the medical sector, this causes contamination of materials and the environment, and thus leads to the appearance of nosocomial infections. In the space industry, all sterility parameters must be respected (temperature, cleanliness, pressure and hygrometry), which requires the use of overshoes.

In addition, for optimal protection, it is necessary to use other comfortable equipment suitable for all sizes and morphologies in clean and sterile areas: masks, sterile gloves, sterile coveralls …

Standards for overshoes

To date, there is no specific law on the manufacture, test methods or conditions of use of overshoes. While safety shoes can still meet the requirements of the jobs requiring them to be worn, overshoes are only essential in rare cases.

Nevertheless, overshoes may be mandatory depending on the sector of activity. In the medical field as in construction, they are used to compensate for the lack of protection of conventional shoes.

In fact, we currently see that there are several types of overshoes designed and packaged to withstand the circumstances in which they are used. They are made of materials resistant to physical stress or chemical agents. Others are only made to insulate footwear.

Types of overshoes - waterproof/rubber/non-slip/etc

Worker on a construction site, roofer, tiler, nurse, chemist… Overshoes are available for different trades, even for specific categories of people such as the elderly for example.

Currently, there are a few models of overshoes that are designed to be worn according to the conditions in which they become mandatory:

These overshoes are required in industrial premises where the risk of contact between shoes and liquids is high. Their waterproof soles prevent water infiltration. In other words, they constitute an additional protection which proves to be essential in the case where chemicals are concerned.

Non-slip overshoes are intended to be worn on slippery floors, such as water-soaked tiles. For example, they are essential for visitors passing through a factory where the ground can be oily.

To prevent the user from slipping, the soles of non-slip overshoes are usually provided with rubber pads, especially models intended for the elderly. Others have removable or interchangeable studs depending on the conditions of use.

Hermetic overshoes

It is in the field of health that hermetic overshoes are the most used. They make it possible to isolate the shoes from the work environment of its user. To do this, they are made of a waterproof material with a sealing system either at the ankle or at the leg.

In the IT or electronics industry, airtight overshoes are also mandatory, as is the case in microprocessor manufacturing companies. The reason is that the slightest dust contamination can compromise the entire production chain.

Shockproof / anti-perforation overshoes

Anti-shock or anti-perforation safety shoes already exist on the market. They are manufactured according to precise standards. The overshoes of the same type are not designed in the same way, but are on the other hand equipped with specificities meeting more or less the same requirements.

On construction sites, visits are commonplace and it is essential to ensure the safety of visitors. They do not participate in the work and therefore do not require safety shoes. However, a minimum of safety must be ensured by the project manager, such as protection against perforation by nails or falling heavy objects.

Additional features of overshoes

In addition to the features mentioned above, overshoes must have certain qualities:

- Discretion and comfort: overshoes as protection for shoes must blend perfectly with the shape of the shoes. They must be inconspicuous and cause no discomfort to its wearer.

- Practicality: the overshoes must slip easily over the shoes, normally in a single movement, from the toe then up towards the heel.

- Resistance: the materials of the overshoes must be strong to resist both the tension when sliding on the shoes, but also against physical or chemical constraints.

Where to buy disposable overshoes?

Find our range of overshoes in our online store Oxwork.com