Maybe you’re a novice to safety footwear and you’re unsure about all these seemingly important symbols attached to your shoe or boot. Or you’re a veteran of the work force so it’s been a long time since you’ve considered what all the symbols mean. Either way, we’ve got you covered to do a quick review of the important details
First of all, you might be wondering: what is CSA?
CSA stands for the Canadian Standards Association, currently known as the CSA Group. It is a standards organization composed of representatives from industry, government, and consumer groups. A CSA registered mark indicates that a product has been tested and certified to meet standards for performance and safety.
CSA White Rectangle
The CSA white rectangle includes the Greek letter omega and CSA symbol in orange. This indicates that the soles of the safety boot provide resistance to electric shock. The work boot or shoe is designed and manufactured in a way that provides electrical insulating properties to withstand 18,000 Volts and a leakage current not exceeding 1mA for 60 seconds.
CSA Green Triangle
The CSA symbol in a green triangle means that the boot or shoe has sole puncture protection with Grade 1 Protective toe to be able to resist impacts up to 125 joules. Sole puncture protection is designed to withstand a force of not less than 1200 Newtons (270 pounds).
CSA Black Rectangle
The CSA black rectangle with an ‘M’ marked on it refers to metatarsal protection. The metatarsal is the bone at the top of the foot. Boots marked with this symbol have built in protection for the metatarsal – particularly important when working with heavy objects. It should be noted that if a safety boot or shoe has this symbol it also must include toe protection.
CSA Yellow Rectangle
The CSA yellow rectangle with the letters ‘SD’ in green and a grounding symbol indicate that a sole is static dissipative. The CSA yellow rectangle with the letters ‘SD+’ in black indicated a sole that is super static dissipative. The outer soles are made from an antistatic compound, capable of dissipating an electrostatic charge in a controlled manner. Footwear that is CSA approved ‘SD’ will also have toe protection.
CSA Blue Rectangle
The CSA blue rectangle indicates Grade 1 toe protection without sole puncture protection. Grade 1 toe withstands impacts up to 125 joules.
Chainsaw Protection
This symbol means the safety footwear is designed specifically to protect the foot from chainsaws and other cutting equipment.
BUCKS® safety boots are available with CSA Green Triangle (toe protection and sole puncture protection), CSA White Rectangle (electric shock resistance), and CSA Black Triangle (metatarsal protection) or a combination of these certifications.