Why Wear Safety Shoes in the Workplace
A startling 25% of all disability claims of the workers from around the world relate to foot injury.In the USA over 1,00,000 foot injuries occur in the workplaces every year,at a staggering estimated price tag of $ 1 billion.The crippling cost and distress to the employees due to foot injuries has prompted most nations including the UK to implement strict mandatory policies that stipulate protection in the workplace.These measures have paid huge dividends as can be seen in the Canadian construction industry where foot injury was reduced by a whopping 60% when protective footwear was introduced.
Although we very often link foot injury with inhospitable work environments, minor footwear ailments such as lacerations,blisters,flat feet,dropped arches and aches and pains that result from excessive standing at workplace, all take their toll towards creating an unproductive workforce, aided by chronic absenteeism.
Interestingly enough it is not laceration,amputation,dislocations and punctures of the toes that claim most victims:,it’s ” slips and trips’ which account for the highest number of work related injuries across all industrial sectors accounting for two million sick days per year.
Common injuries in the absence of protective safety shoes:
1. Crushed feet, broken bones and amputations of toes and feet that occur mostly in construction,logging,fishing and oil rigging operations.
2. Punctures to the soles are prevalent in work environments where nails,wire,staples and scrap metal are used.
3. Cuts,lacerations and severed toes can result from work in chain saws, rotary mowers and agricultural machinery without adequate protection.
4. Burns due to chemical and molten metal splashes, flammable and explosive material associated with mining,manufacture of heavy metal and chemical production.
5. Electric shocks due to static electricity or direct contact with source.
6. Sprains,fractures and broken bones can occur literally anywhere where there is a slippery floor,cluttered walkway or simply inadequate lighting.
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