There is a lot of confusion in the industry - most of it perpetrated by people that haven't a clue.

Other than conductive footwear, only products manufactured to BSEN50321-1, electrically insulating footwear,  are designed to provide a degree of protection when live working and when used in accordance with manufacturers instructions (in practice, this is not the case but thats another issue).  This footwear should be provided to workers when the hazard is  known and quantifiable eg: someone working on a 415V cable - the step and touch potentials can determine the class of footwear required.

Electrical hazard footwear is provided to offer a degree of protection against an unknown hazard (and for persons who are not competent to assess that hazard.  For example,  a farmer downs an overhead power line; or a painter walking into a substation where unbeknownst to him there has been some remote fault resulting in a step potential, or some emergency services personnel arriving at the scene where a car has collided with an overhead power line which is now on the ground and the line not tripped.

The intended function of the footwear is basically a work boot - and that needs to conform to the CE marking etc. 

Note: that in Cenelec WG5,  they are developing a standard which was supposed to deal with electrical hazard but, in my opinion, it has lost its way and is getting confused with electrically insulating footwear.  Again,  how would a farmer calculate a step potential?

The HSE should be supporting this type of footwear and be more knowledgeable about what its purpose is.  It is not, and never has been, for live working (only insulating and conductive footwear are for that purpose).

It has and does save lives and is worn by many emergency services personnel and other workers in North America (for at least 30 years to my knowledge).

I, personally, would and do wear EH footwear knowing that I will get a degree of protection that is not there with a normal work boot.

There is a lot of confusion in the industry - most of it perpetrated by people that haven't a clue.

Other than conductive footwear, only products manufactured to BSEN50321-1, electrically insulating footwear,  are designed to provide a degree of protection when live working and when used in accordance with manufacturers instructions (in practice, this is not the case but thats another issue).  This footwear should be provided to workers when the hazard is  known and quantifiable eg: someone working on a 415V cable - the step and touch potentials can determine the class of footwear required.

Electrical hazard footwear is provided to offer a degree of protection against an unknown hazard (and for persons who are not competent to assess that hazard.  For example,  a farmer downs an overhead power line; or a painter walking into a substation where unbeknownst to him there has been some remote fault resulting in a step potential, or some emergency services personnel arriving at the scene where a car has collided with an overhead power line which is now on the ground and the line not tripped.

The intended function of the footwear is basically a work boot - and that needs to conform to the CE marking etc. 

Note: that in Cenelec WG5,  they are developing a standard which was supposed to deal with electrical hazard but, in my opinion, it has lost its way and is getting confused with electrically insulating footwear.  Again,  how would a farmer calculate a step potential?

The HSE should be supporting this type of footwear and be more knowledgeable about what its purpose is.  It is not, and never has been, for live working (only insulating and conductive footwear are for that purpose).

It has and does save lives and is worn by many emergency services personnel and other workers in North America (for at least 30 years to my knowledge).

I, personally, would and do wear EH footwear knowing that I will get a degree of protection that is not there with a normal work boot.

eg: someone working on a 415V cable

What's the difference in hazard between a 415V (400V in new money) 3-phase cable and a 240V (230V in new money) single phase one - both   have exactly the same voltages to Earth.

   - Andy.

What's the difference..
Well, none generally. Far more important is how clean and dry the boot, and the working environment, is and if anything has made a hole in it allowing water in or out . The problem is that such accidents do not occur in clean dry test lab conditions. When there are, it tends to be the sort of accident that occurs when the flex to the pressure washer gets damaged and not noticed under weeks of accumulated chicken muck or something. Folk who expect to be working on something live know very well they are doing it (and probably do not leave live ends on the floor anyway)- it is the unwary that get caught.

To be honest even a basic plastic (polyethelene) carrier bag will be fine as live wire protection for 230/400 while it stays intact- the problem is that it all too easily rips..

We have some 35kV tested wellies that really are just wellies - but the test paperwork makes them worth over £100 per foot. I fully expect the rubber to perish in the box without ever saving any lives at all.

Mike.

Mike.