According to the report by the National Safety Council, around 53,000-foot injuries occur along with a staggering 44.5 million injuries caused in workplaces because of trips, falls and slips in the USA. Each person affected by these injuries suffers alone, and this is why it is a crucial reminder to provide your workers with the right footwear built with safety precautions.
But do you struggle to find tough and durable shoes that offer safety to your workers? With a large variety available, it can be a tough task to acknowledge the safety standards and determine the best materials that suit your workers’ environment. Hence, if you are also facing the challenge of selecting the best safety footwear available, this guide will help you select the most appropriate safety shoes for your needs as per workplace requirements, potential hazards, types of safety shoes, material, and other features.
Guide to Choosing The Right Safety Footwear
Choosing the perfect safety footwear requires acknowledging its specifications. Moreover, if any organisation employs a number of employees, they must keep in mind all the injuries, hazards and accidents that they have faced or might face in the future based on the workplace and the machinery and materials used.
Identify Potential Hazards
For identifying the potential mishappenings, on-site inspection can be done keeping the following points in mind:
- Heavy machinery used, and falling objects
- Slippery, concrete, wet or hard floors
- Static electricity buildup
- Metal, chemical or any other harmful element splashes
- Use of sharp objects like nails, tools and blades
- Burning objects such as sparks, molten metal or heating of machinery because of prolonged use.
After acknowledging all the possible accidents that the employees might come across, run an audit of the safety footwear that is currently in use to monitor if it aligns with all the present safety standards.
Consider Preferences and Comfort
In addition, keep in mind the needs and preferences of your workers. Also ensure to keep in mind the shoe cut preferred by them. Shoes that are made with high-cut provide additional support to your ankle and make it highly suitable for positions that demand stability. However, shoes that are built with a low-cut style offer ankle flexibility and are a preferable choice for positions that need frequent bending or kneeling. Comparatively, high cut-shoes offer lesser Achilles tendon protection as compared to low-cut.
Understand the Difference Between Men’s and Women’s Safety Shoes
When comparing men’s and women’s feet, you are going to notice that women’s feet are generally smaller, and women’s heels are significantly narrower when compared to the breadth of the ball of the foot.
Women also need more arch support as their Achilles tendon is higher and smaller. Even in terms of walking style, women differ from men in that they stride more frequently and for shorter distances.
In general, female feet are smaller as a whole, with a higher arch, shorter toe length, and narrower heel.
Men’s work boots cannot be accurately scaled down due to fundamental anatomy variations. Similarly, it is unfavourable for male workers to wear women’s work boots in bigger sizes.
Lastly, wearing the wrong work shoes can cause long-term harm and raise the likelihood of injuries.
Explore Different Materials for Different Workplace Requirements
Safety shoes are designed from multiple materials, and each material is chosen for its certain protective properties, including comfort, durability, and impact resistance. Listed below are some of the materials with their properties and benefits.
Leather
Leather is well known for its adaptability and readability. For instance, a carpenter who works in a semi-controlled environment might require leather boots and benefit from their form-fitting nature over time.
Synthetic Products
Shoes made up of synthetic leather and nylon, are of lesser weight and highly resistant to chemicals and water. People working in chemical plant factories prefer using synthetic shoes because of their resistance to chemicals and other harmful materials.
Steel Toe Caps
While discussing protective elements for industrial settings, steel toe caps are a great option for a construction site. These places hold a higher risk of heavy objects falling more often.
Aluminium Toe Caps
Meanwhile, a warehouse worker needs protection but also requires lightweight footwear for efficient mobility and hence may choose aluminium toe caps.
Carbon Fibre
For electrical environments, composite toe caps utilise materials such as carbon fibre as they do not conduct electricity.
EVAs
For midsoles, EVA cushioning properties are the perfect choice for healthcare workers standing for several hours as it offers them great comfort.
PU
PU is built to absorb shock and is durable, which makes it a priority for dock workers handling heavy cargo and navigating uneven places.
Rubber
Rubber is one such material that offers an amazing grip for factory workers and is basically preferable for the outsole materials. The quality is highly preferable when dealing with oil-based machinery.
TPU
Due to the combined strength and resilience of TPU, it is a great choice for rough surfaces like mining sites.
Textile Linings
Textile linings are made with breathable nature and are a perfect option for workplaces that are integrated with air-conditioning as they ensure comfort throughout their usage.
GORE-TEX
For forestry workers, GORE-TEX boots are appreciable due to their waterproof properties for the rainy season.
Memory Foam
Memory foam is the perfect material for insoles and is the best option for retail workers. As they spend a long time standing on the field, the memory foam acts as a comforter adapting their foot shape.
Gel Insoles
For factory workers, gel insoles are the perfect option for comfort as they work on hard concrete floors, and gel insoles act as shock absorbers.
Where Does One Need to Wear Safety Shoes?
When performing tasks in any area where there is a possibility of a foot injury, such as an industrial setting or a construction area, it is always recommended to wear safety shoes.
The places where big types of machinery are being used and handled are another setting where safety footwear is essential. If a large, heavy piece of equipment rolls over an exposed foot by accident, it is likely to fracture bones.
Safety shoes are made to shield the feet from objects that could cut or stab them, heavy items, chemicals, high or low temperatures, and slippery or wet floors.
It is necessary that one makes sure that the safety shoes chosen fit the workplace’s safety standards, that it is properly customised, and that it is well maintained since this is supposed to reduce the chance of injury.
Ensure Safety with L&T Safety Footwears
Ensure to purchase the accurate sizes for your workers, as any miss-fittings can create pain and discomfort and reduce work efficiency. Always purchase a safety shoe that avoids any contraction of your workers’ feet, especially at the toe cap area. Moreover, if your workers are working for a long time, it can result in the swelling of their feet. Stay worry-free with the wide range of safety footwear from verified suppliers at L&T-SuFin and offer durability and comfort to your workers.