Safety-toed boots are a popular choice for businesses who employ people working with heavy objects - often reinforced with steel but sometimes with a non-metallic composite. However, they can also attract complaints from employees who find them uncomfortable. What are the advantages and disadvantages of such boots, and is it worth issuing them to your employees?
Pros
The main advantage is obvious - boots with reinforced toes are a huge safety benefit. Even relatively light objects dropped on the toes can cause agony, and heavy objects can crush, break or even amputate the toes. As well as the immediate pain, this can leave an employee with lifelong mobility problems. Reinforced boots have been shown to protect employees' feet from such accidents.
And although your main concern will be your employees' well-being, it is worth remembering that accidents have financial implications. Accidents are costly and will affect your insurance.
Cons
Reinforced boots will not protect against everything. Extremely heavy weights can crush the steel reinforcement and cause injury to the toes beneath. Some people believe that because of this, safety boots can do more harm than good, as the steel reinforcement itself can crush or slice off the toes. However, this is something of a myth, as with such a weight the foot would have been badly damaged anyway. It is better to provide safety boots for your employees and arrange other safety procedures to prevent accidents involving very heavy weights.
Comfort is also an issue. Reinforced boots will not stretch with wear, so if they do not fit when they are first worn, they never will. Boots that are too small can in themselves injure the foot over time, so you should make sure that the boots are always a good fit.
Employees sometimes complain that reinforced boots make them feel the cold more, or conversely that they make the feet sweat more. However, a little discomfort may be worth it if it prevents the feet from becoming badly injured, and it seems that good-quality boots can overcome both these problems. As with most things in life, you get what you pay for.
Safety boots have a proven track record of protecting employees feet from accidents that could otherwise leave them with a lifelong injury. If you have employees who are at any risk of damaging their feet, you should introduce reinforced boots as part of your safety regime and workwear.
Share27 September 2018
When I was growing up, I kept expecting that any year I would have the growth spurt the other girls all had. It never happened and I'm still the same height I was in 8th grade. I am quite short for an adult lady, and as I move up the corporate ladder it's important for me to find outfits that make me look like a professional woman and not some kid dressing up in her mum's work clothes. This blog is all my inspiration of petite corporate wear that looks great as well as some ideas of great shops to try for petite clothes.
