Footwear for 2014

New lines in PU/Rubber Sole are said to have excellent shock absorption and are heat resistant to 300°. They are high slip resistant and have non-clogging sole patterns; extra comfort is offered with moisture wicking lining and a removable footbed.

Dickies has also introduced an ESD trainer. The Alford trainer is suitable for those working in the electronics industry as ESD footwear provides a safe and controlled method of discharging static electricty.

Safety footwear standard EN345 has been superseded by EN ISO 20345 and the entire Dickies' range has been re-cerfified to the new standard EN ISO 20345:2011.

Wasi Ullah, buyer at Dickies commented: "The most important element of any item of working apparel is its comfort and durability. This is especially important with regards to safety footwear, when you consider that most tradesmen could spend up to nine hours a day in their work footwear. Any safety footwear not only has to be comfortable and provide support to the wearer’s foot, but be strong enough to withstand the rigours of the modern working environment.

"Over the past couple of years the main trend has been for safety footwear to become lighter in weight and more fashionable, which really started with the use of injected PU sole units. The introduction of composite toecaps and composite material mid-plates has accelerated this demand. Other market requirements which we have noticed are the need for the upper profile of safety footwear to be lower. The problem with the design of safety footwear is that these styles need a toecap, which creates a more rounded shape to the upper, but the trend nowadays is for safety footwear to look less like an item of safety footwear. Part of the solution is to reduce the shape of the upper profile by applying it lower into the sole unit. This allows for a lower profile footwear style, such as the Faxon Trainer.”