From Steel Toe to Puncture Resistant, Static Dissipative, Electical Hazard and so on, plus an abundance of comfort features; Safety footwear can have a lot of bells and whistles. Sifting through the saturation of brands, styles (hiker, wellington, 8-inch, etc.) and components and matching them up to your specific work conditions can be daunting. So where do you start and what do you need to consider?
Workplace Hazards and Safety Footwear
Every work environment is different. Even if you have a specific trade, you may still encounter various work conditions from jobsite to jobsite, building to building, or room to room. So it's important to think about all the areas you and your employees will face when doing required work.
Footwear manufacturers are constantly striving to provide products that meet the need of specific work conditions or industry. A great example of this is the Rocky Elements collection - trade specific boots with distinct features and benefits to accommodate demanding job conditions and duties. Check out the promo video below.
In general, safety footwear is designed to help protect
a worker from at least one of the following hazards
- Falling, rolling and flying
- Punctures
- Cutting Hazards
- Slips, Trips and Falls
- Burns
- Electrical Harm
- Fatigue
- Extreme temperatures / weather
The above workplace hazards are pretty basic and probably didn't surprise you. Why? Cause they're common sense. But since accidents are still happening workers must be thinking it's not going to happen to them - and that's probably cause it hasn't happened YET. But bad practices eventually lead to injury so it's best to learn, instruct and enforce wearing the right boot for the job.
Below is a handy chart of some of the more common features available in safety footwear and the benefit of each as well as how it applies to the above hazards and what job or work environment might require it.
<< insert data >>
Certain safety features can be offered in more then one way. For example, current options of safety toe materials are steel, composite, alloy or fiber. For the differences between Steel and Composite Toe see our article Steel Toe vs. Composite Toe. Waterproofing and Insulation can be provided by different branded systems as well. Check out our Product Features and Technologies page for a great comparison list.
In Summary - Get CustomFit
Buying the right safety footwear for the job can be overwhelming - especially if you are responsible for doing it for a large number of employees or making sure they purchase on their own. A comprehensive Safety Footwear Program like CustomFit can help alleviate that stress. If you have any questions or would like help figuring out the best safety boots for your specific work environments, please CONTACT US today through one of our many service options.