No matter where you work, you want to make sure that you are wearing appropriate safety shoes. If you work in the construction industry, then you’ll likely be walking outdoors a lot. However, you might also work in a production hall or big warehouse where you are spending all day walking on plain floors.
As a laborer, you could end up walking several miles every day for your job. All that walking can tire out your muscles and strain your ligaments and joints. And if you don’t wear the proper footwear, you could end up damaging your feet and legs.
Luckily for you, we are here to help. So keep on reading and we will take you through everything that you need to know to choose the right safety shoes.
Why Protect Your Feet?
Practically all workers use their hands to work. But your feet are also a very useful tool that you probably use throughout the day.
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there are more than 40,000 thousand foot injuries every year that lead to significant time away from work.
These injuries can be mild, like sores and blisters. But they can also be more serious and lead to chronic pain.
A foot injury can also lead to pain in the legs and the bag.
Falls, trips, and slips also make up a good portion of work injuries. If you don’t have the right safety shoes on, you could trip or slip and seriously hurt yourself. The fall might even be fatal.
Also, a worker who isn’t in pain all day is going to be more productive and have higher morale. Everyone wins when workers are happy, comfortable, and safe.
Standards to Keep in Mind
There are certain standards that you need to remember when you are trying to stay compliant and find the right slip resistant shoes. Employers need to make sure that all of their workers are using safe shoes when they work in areas that are dangerous.
There are several standards that need to be considered when looking for foot protection. For example, a safety shoe should be resistant to punctures from sharp penetrating items. This is to protect the bottom of the foot.
The shoe should also reduce hazards by having static dissipative properties. A buildup of static charge can lead to severe injuries when a worker makes contact with a live electrical circuit.
You want the safety shoes to exhibit impact resistance so that the toes don’t get crushed. There should also be compression resistance for the area around the toes.
The metatarsal bones at the top of the foot are also going to need to be protected. If you might accidentally step on a live electric wire, your shoes will need to have electric hazard protection.
Lastly, the shoes will need to have conductive properties to lower the buildup of static electricity. This is going to reduce the chances of ignition of fine particulates in the air, volatile chemicals, or explosions.
The Right Safety Shoe
A shoe needs to protect you against all kinds of hazards. But when you are looking for the right safety shoe, there are several things that you need to think about. Let’s go over those factors below.
Fit
When it comes to any shoe, the first thing you need to consider is the correct fit so that you can achieve optimal comfort. You will need to make sure that your safety shoe can be laced for a proper fit. It should also never be too tight.
You don’t want to just slip into the shoe every day. You want to lace it up again each day so that a tight fit on your foot can be assured.
If you don’t account for fit, you will experience painful pressure, sores, and blisters on your feet.
Comfort
It is very important that you buy safety shoes that provide you will plenty of cushion. A comfortable working environment is formed by an intermediate sole with cushioning material. This is even more important when you are walking on hard industrial floors.
You will have more energy and less fatigue throughout the day when you have comfortable shoes. A good cushion in your shoes will also protect your back, your joints, and the rest of your body.
All of this will mean that you are sick less often and miss less work.
Durability
Durability is very important, especially if you are carrying heavy loads throughout the day. The top part of the shoe should be lightweight but also robust. A sole that is made out of robust material will support you for a long time.
This kind of shoe will also mean that you don’t need to keep spending money on new shoes.
Try to find safety shoes that are comfortable, strong, and stylish.
The Importance of Using This Complete Guide That Makes It Simple to Choose Safety Shoes
Hopefully, after reading the above article, you now have a better idea of how to choose safety shoes. As we can see, not every worker is going to need the same kind of safety shoe. But that doesn’t mean that there are certain characteristics that practically all safety shoes should share.
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