In any given year, there are about 120,000 job-related foot injuries, one-third of them toe injuries. According to the American Podiatric Medical Association, there are a few simple things you should do:

• Bathe your feet daily; dry them thoroughly;
• Check your feet frequently for corns, calluses, cracks;
• Keep your feet warm;
• Trim your toenails straight across, slightly longer than the end of the toe;
• Prevent foot problems by visiting your podiatrist as part of your annual health check-up;
• Wear protective footwear when using lawnmowers, chain-saws, and moving heavy objects. On the job, it is important for you to develop safe work habits and attitudes. Some things to remember include:
• Be aware of the hazards of your job and the proper protective measures to take;
• Don’t take chances or unnecessary risks;
• Take time to do your job right;
• Be alert. Watch for hidden hazards;
• Be considerate. Watch out for other workers’ safety;
• Follow the rules. Don’t cut corners. Use your equipment as specified;
• Concentrate on the job. Inattention can lead to accidents;
• Pace yourself. Work steadily at a comfortable speed;
• Keep your work area clean and your tools in their place.

Protective Footwear Is Essential
Safety shoes and boots protect your feet, help prevent injuries to them, and reduce the severity of injuries that do occur in the workplace.

The National Safety Council has found that only one of four victims of job-related foot injury was wearing any type of safety shoe or boot when injured.

The foot is the most valuable part of your body subjected to injury in industry. Because of the many potential work hazards, it is important that you discuss with your supervisor the safety shoe, boot, or other protective equipment that you need for your protection.

The following is a list of hazards and the protections that can prevent injury from them:
• Falling and rolling objects, cuts and punctures: Steel-toe safety shoes; add-on devices: metatarsal guards, metal foot guards, puncture-proof inserts, shin guards.
• Chemicals, solvents: Footwear with synthetic stitching, and made of rubber, vinyl or plastic.
• Electric current: Shoes or boots with rubber soles, and heels, no metal parts and insulated steel toes.
• Extreme cold: Shoes or boots with moisture- or oil-resistant insulation that can repel water (if this is a problem); insulated socks.
• Extreme heat and direct flame: Overshoes or boots of fire-resistant materials with wooden soles.
• High voltage: Shoes with rubber or cork heels and soles, and no exposed metal parts.
• Hot surfaces: Safety shoes with wooden or other heat-resistant soles; wooden sandals overshoes.
• Sanitation contamination: Special plastic booties or overshoes; paper or wood shower sandals.
• Slips and skids (from wet, oily shoes with wooden soles or cleated, surfaces): Nonslip rubber or neoprene soles; non-skid sandals that slip over shoes; strap-on cleats for icy surfaces.
• Sparking (from metal shoe parts): Safety shoes with no metal parts and non-sparking material.
• Sparks, molten metal splashes: Foundry boots with elastic sides or quick-release buckles for speedy removal.
• Static electricity: Shoes or boots with heels and soles of cork or leather.
• Wetness: Lined rubber shoes or boots; rubbers or shoes of silicone-treated leather.

If Feet are Injured at Work
Report any injury to your supervisor promptly for necessary first aid. Then see your podiatrist if further treatment is recommended. Proper foot care improves your efficiency and keeps you on the job.

Your podiatrist is a specialist who diagnoses and treats foot disorders and injuries medically and surgically. By visiting your podiatrist regularly, you can insure for yourself a lifetime of painfree feet.

RICE Injury Treatment Tips from the APMA
• Rest. Cut back on your activity, and get off your feet.
• Ice. Gently place a plastic bag of ice, or ice wrapped in a towel, on the injured area in a 20-minute-on, 40-minute-off cycle.
• Compression. Lightly wrap an Ace bandage around the area, taking care not to pull it too tight.
• Elevation. Sit in a position that you can elevate the foot higher than the waist, to reduce swelling and pain.
• Switch to a soft shoe or slipper, preferably one that your podiatrist can cut up in the office if it needs to be altered to accommodate a bulky dressing.
• For bleeding cuts, cleanse well, apply pressure with gauze or a towel, and cover with a clean dressing.
• It’s best not to use any medication on the cut before you see the doctor.
• Leave blisters unopened if they are not painful or swollen. Foreign materials in the skin, such as slivers, splinters, and sand, can be removed carefully with a sterile instrument.
• A deep foreign object, such as broken glass or a needle, must be removed professionally.
• Treatment for an abrasion is similar to that of a burn, since raw skin is exposed to the air and can easily become infected. Cleansing is important to remove all foreign particles. Sterile bandages should be applied, along with an antibiotic cream or ointment. FSM