Right safety boots for the job?
Are your workers wearing heavy duty steel cap safety boots and they don’t have to be? Are they experiencing discomfort and pain from these boots? Are you seeing more foot injuries in your staff?
Safety shoes are not only an important part of personal protective equipment(PPE) to help avoid injury but studies show that some shoes can possibly be a long-term preventative instrument for maintaining the health of the workers (Ochsmann et al. 2016).
Workers who are on their feet for extended periods of time, standing, walking, lifting on hard surfaces are more at risk of injury to their feet. Sometimes they are wearing big, heavy, cumbersome boots not designed to be worn for their factory job but more for people in construction. This then sees them at risk of injuries such as plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, blisters and general fatigue from wearing such big, ill-fitting boots.
There is evidence to show that heavy duty boots can unnecessarily increase the effort of your staff to perform activities such as lifting and going up and down stairs (Alferdaws & Ramadan, 2020).
Through STITCHKRAFT, the German made Safety Footwear European market leader, ELTEN is now available to the Australian market. Loaded with features, a culmination of 150 years of German design and innovation, the safety footwear range covers:
The benefits of STITCHKRAFT Safety Footwear means that:
- Ladies specific fit is more comfortable for narrower feet
- Reduction in effort from wearing lighter boots
- Wellmaxx Comfort insole built into the shoes offers increased cushioning so that staff can stand for longer in more comfort
- Less discomfort when wearing boots increasing productivity
- Better fitting boots that reduce injuries and issues such as plantar fasciitis, blisters and general aches and pains.
Therefore, educating your workers about safety footwear and the options available that are fit for purpose whilst addressing their specific footwear requirements, such as additional cushioning, an extra wide, narrow or extra large fit, all goes a long way to looking after your workers and maintaining productivity.
Why not check out the STITCHKRAFT Safety Footwear today, to get your workers in more suitable safety footwear. I like to refer my clients to STITCHKRAFT as they have so many different shoes, with different features which means you can ensure your workers will get a shoe which fits them best whilst addressing their specific industry requirements.
Charlotte Gerner Owner and Head Physio
APAM (Masters Physio, Grad Diploma Ergonomics, Health & Safety, B.Comm, GC.Mktg)
References:
Ochsmann, E., Noll, U., Ellegast, R., Hermanns, I., & Kraus, T. (2016). Influence of different safety shoes on gait and plantar pressure : a standardized examination of workers in the automotive industry. Journal of occupational health, 58(4-suppl), 404–412. https://doi.org/10.1539/joh.15-0193-OA
Alferdaws, F. F., & Ramadan, M. Z. (2020). Effects of lifting method, safety shoe type, and lifting frequency on maximum acceptable weight of lift, physiological responses, and safety shoes discomfort rating. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(9), 3012. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17093012
Contact us to make your business more efficient with Onsite Physiotherapy, book a free workplace consultation today!
info@benefitcorporatehealth.com.au
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