Meat Processing Safety: How Bekina Steplite Boots Protect Your Workforce

Bekina Steplite boots are specially tailored and are the primary provider of safety and comfort in the meat work industry. First of all, they support safety in the industry.

Durability and Longevity

Bekina Steplite Boots are made from NEOTANE, a top-quality polyurethane plastic, which is lightweight and durable to ensure the boots last three times longer than traditional rubber or PVC boots, providing enhanced sustainability and profitability for your business. 

Thermal Insulation

The thermal insulation of the boots keeps workers’ feet warm in very cold processing areas. The feet protection for some models down to-58°F (-50°C) indicates that these are special work shoes for everyone who spends time in refrigeration areas or deals with cold meat products daily.

Comfort and Ergonomics

If you work in an environment where you’re on your feet all day, then it’s a comfort that you’re going to crave. This is why a Bekina Steplite boot is designed for all-day wear, reducing steamer fatigue. The reduced need for anti-fatigue and other mats in the boiler house is a testament to the boot’s ergonomic design.

Hygiene and Colour Coding

In food processing, there must be high levels of hygiene. The boots are delivered by the company in different colours and can be colour coded inside the company. Thanks to this, it is possible to prevent contamination and ensure the maximum level of hygiene.

Slip Resistance and Safety Features

It is also SRC-certified, which means it has slip resistance – an important safety feature in the constantly wet, drippy and slippery meat processing facilities. It is also easy to detach and clean with its smooth finish.

Protection Against Contaminants

Made from a material called Bekina Steplite, these boots are resistant to common meat-processing-plant contaminants such as:

• Oils
• Fats
• Blood
• And Chemicals…

Which helps keep workers safe by shielding their feet from the negative effects of these substances.

Shock-Absorbent Heels

Also, these boots have shock-absorbent heels, which means more convenience and safety: your feet and legs simply won’t feel the destructive force of standing or walking for hours.

Bekina Steplite and Their Standing in the Industry

Bekina Steplite Boots represent a fundamental asset of meat processing safety. This footwear allows a combination of quality, comfort, hygiene, flexibility, and protection that are specific to the meat processing industry. 

Therefore, companies investing in these boots are ensuring the safety of their workforce while maintaining their efficiency and safety standards.

Realisation and Enhanced Production

It was not accidental that these boots caught the attention of workers and the industry when the safety and hygienic standards in the workplace became a general concern in Western countries in the second half of the 20th century.

As the scale of production and the intensity of the labour process increased, and as governments tried to regulate those conditions, the specialised demands for footwear on the part of both employers and workers became more apparent.

Steplite’s manufacturer, Bekina Boots (itself a subsidiary of the Belgian group Bekina Seraing), started its business in 1962 as a high-volume producer of 100% synthetic safety work boots and has since grown into a market leader in the development, production and global market entry of safety work boots for different sectors, including the food industry.

Looking Forward 

The Steplite line came in response to the demands of the food-processing sector, which was looking for boots that would offer workers comfort and safety because the processing conditions (chilling, cleaning and hosing, wetness) had not changed since the 1950s.

Polyurethane – What a Find: But It Needs Integrating

Made of a high-grade polyurethane called NEOTANE (relatively unknown), the boots were superior to their predecessors made of rubber or PVC, proving to be:

• Warmer
• Stronger
• More Comfortable
• And More Waterproof… 

The industry continued to grow and to demand increasingly specialist design features. The nimble Bekina design team reacted to these needs by developing models with such features as steel toe caps and slip-resistant soling. In the early 1970s, Bekina was the first to offer a footwear range that evolved from colour-coding, a practice that continues to this day in the food processing industry.

SUMMARY

They established their place in the meat-processing sector largely through the innovation, quality and clarity of their products. Bekina, as a brand, has become an ambassador for the company and its powerful combination of technological advancement, industrial mastership and market understanding. The Steplite boots, for example, have become something of a standard in the sector.