Prevent Injury
Protective Footwear for The Workplace

Protective footwear worn in the workplace is designed to protect the foot from physical hazards such as falling objects, stepping on sharp objects, heat and cold, wet and slippery surfaces, or exposure to
corrosive chemicals. Employers are encouraged to initiate a footwear protection safety program and train employees on foot safety and the importance of protective footwear as personal protective equipment.

There are two major categories of work-related foot injuries. The first category includes foot injuries from punctures, crushing, sprains, and lacerations. They account for 10 percent of all reported disabling injuries.

The second group of injuries includes those resulting from slips, trips and falls. They account for 15 percent of all reported disabling injuries. Slips and falls do not always result in a foot injury but lack of attention to foot safety plays an important role in their occurrence.

These two categories of foot injuries, however, do not exhaust the whole range of foot problems at work. There are also other conditions such as calluses, ingrown toenails or simply tired feet that
are common among workers.

Although these may not be considered as occupational injuries, they can have serious consequences for health and safety at the workplace. They can cause discomfort, pain, and fatigue. Fatigue can cause a worker an injury affecting the muscles and joints. Also, a worker who is tired and suffering
pain is less alert and more likely to act unsafely, which can cause an accident.

What are Some Causes
of Foot Problems?
Some foot problems are so common that they can occur in virtually any workplace and under any working conditions.

How does the working position contribute to the foot problem? Common foot problems occur both on and off the job.

Still, there is no doubt that some work-related factors can lead to foot problems, especially jobs that require long periods of standing. Since the human foot is designed for mobility, maintaining an upright
stance is extremely tiring. Standing for hours, day after day, not only tires the worker’s feet, but can also cause permanent damage. Continuous standing can cause the joints of the bones of the feet to become misaligned (e.g., cause flat feet) and can cause inflammation that can lead later to rheumatism and arthritis.

How Does the Flooring
Contribute to the Foot Problems?
The type of flooring used in the workplace has an important influence on comfort, especially on tender feet. Hard, unyielding floors like concrete are the least comfortable surfaces to work on. Working on a hard floor has the impact of a hammer, pounding the heel at every step. Slippery floors are hazardous for slips and falls that can result in sprained ankles or broken foot bones.

How Can Foot Injuries be Prevented?
There is no workplace where a worker is immune to foot injury. However, the hazards differ according to the workplace and the types of tasks the worker does. The first step in developing a strategy to reduce foot problems is to identify the relevant hazards at the workplace. Such hazards should be
assessed in each worksite, no matter how safe or how dangerous it may seem.

How Can the Job Design
Improve Foot Safety?
Aching, flat, or tired feet are common among workers who spend most of their working time standing.
The most important goal of job design is to avoid fixed positions, especially fixed standing positions.

Good job design includes varied tasks requiring changes in body position and using different muscles. Job rotation, job enlargement, and teamwork are ways to make work easier on the feet.
Job rotation moves workers from one job to another. It distributes standing among a group of workers and shortens the time each individual spends standing. However, it must be a rotation where the worker does something completely different such as walking around or sitting at the next job.
Job enlargement includes more and different tasks in a worker’s duties. If it increases the variety of body positions and motions, the worker has less chance of developing foot problems.

Teamwork gives the whole team more control and autonomy in planning and allocation of the
work. Each team member carries a set of various operations to complete the whole product.

Teamwork allows workers to alternate between tasks that, in turn, reduce the risk of overloading the feet.

Rest breaks help to alleviate foot problems where redesigning jobs is impractical. Frequent short breaks are preferable to fewer long breaks.

How can the Workplace
Design Improve Foot Safety?
Redesigning a job alone will not effectively reduce foot problems if it is not combined with the proper design of the workplace.

For standing jobs, an adjustable work surface is the best choice. If the work surface is not adjustable, two solutions include installing a platform to raise a shorter worker or a pedestal to raise the object for a taller worker.

• Workstation design should allow the worker room to change body position.
• A foot-rail or footrest enables the worker to shift weight from one leg to the other. This ability reduces the stress on the lower legs and feet.
• Where possible, a worker should be able to work sitting or standing at will. A seat should be provided for resting purposes, even when work can only be done while standing.

How can one improve the foot safety in workplaces where foot injuries occur frequently? Job and workplace designs also have the potential to increase foot safety in workplaces that are specifically
hazardous. Here are some examples:
• Separating mobile equipment from pedestrian traffic and installing safety mirrors and warning signs can decrease the number of accidents that might result in cut or crushed feet or toes.
• Proper guarding of machines such as chain saws or rotary mowers can avoid cuts or severed feet or toes.
• Effective housekeeping can reduce the number of accidents at workplaces. For example, loose nails, other sharp objects, and littered walkways are hazards for foot injury.
• Using color contrast and angular lighting to improve depth vision in complicated areas such as stairs, ramps, and passageways can reduce the hazard of tripping and falling.

How Can the Kind of Floor
Improve Foot Comfort?
Standing or working on a hard, unyielding floor can cause a lot of discomfort. Wood, cork, carpeting, or rubber — anything that provides some flexibility — is gentler on workers’ feet. Where resilient
floors are not practical, footwear with thick, insulating soles and shock-absorbing insoles can alleviate discomfort. Anti-fatigue matting can also be useful wherever workers have to stand or walk. They provide a cushioning that reduces foot fatigue. However, the use of matting requires caution.
When installed improperly, it can lead to tripping and slipping accidents.

What to Know About Footwear?
Proper footwear is important, not only for foot comfort but also for one’s general well being. Improper footwear can cause or aggravate existing foot problems. Unfortunately, being fashionable sometimes
takes precedence over choosing well-fitting, supportive safety footwear. However, many safety footwear manufacturers produce safety footwear that does look fashionable.

The best way to involve workers in programs to protect their feet is to provide:
• Training and information on the health hazards of wearing improper shoes;
• Principles for selecting proper footwear; and
• Simple rules of general foot care. What should workers know when buying footwear for work?

Good footwear should have the following qualities:
• The inner side of the shoe must be straight from the heel to the end of the big toe.
• The shoe must grip the heel firmly.
• The forepart must allow freedom of movement for the toes.
• The shoe must have a fastening across the instep to prevent the foot from slipping when walking.
• The shoe must have a low, wide-based heel; flat shoes are recommended.

People buying footwear for work should take the following advice:
• Do not expect that footwear that is too tight will stretch with wear;
• Have both feet measured when buying shoes. Feet normally differ in size;
• Buy shoes to fit the bigger foot;
• Buy shoes late in the afternoon when feet are likely to be swollen to their maximum size;
• Ask a doctor’s advice if properly fitting shoes are not available; and
• Consider purchasing shock-absorbing insoles when a job requires walking or standing on hard floors.

What should I know about protective footwear? The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standard Z41-1999 “Personal Protection-Protective Footwear” should be consulted. There is also the ANSI Z41 User Guide for Protective Foot-wear.

Providing adequate protective footwear is an effective protective strategy. All working footwear, for both men and women, whether it is safety wear or not, should provide comfort without compromising protective value.

In addition, protective footwear should conform to the ANSI Standard Z41-1999.
• A steel toecap should cover the whole length of the toes from tips to beyond the natural bend of the foot. A soft pad covering the edge of the toecap increases comfort. If the toecap cuts into the foot, either the size or style of the footwear is incorrect.
• Soles come in a variety of thicknesses and materials. They need to be chosen according to the hazards and type(s) of flooring in the workplace.
• Uppers of protective footwear come in a variety of materials. Selection should take into account the hazards, and individual characteristics of the worker’s foot.
• A steel midsole, which protects the foot against penetration by sharp objects, should be flexible enough to allow the foot to bend.
• No one type of non-slip footwear can prevent the wearer from slipping on every surface type.  FSM