Jon Marchant, global category manager, industrial footwear at Airwair International – Dr Martens – discusses the company’s recent survey, which reveals that footwear is a neglected aspect on site.
The correct choice of footwear is essential in construction, especially when faced with conditions such as freezing temperatures and damp environments.
Potential hazards to construction workers’ feet are abundant: slips, trips and falls, heavy, sharp objects, prolonged exposure to damp conditions that can cause bacterial infections, to name a few. It is important, therefore, to think about what type of footwear is needed to withstand such situations.
By only focusing on price, individuals run the risk of overlooking features that are critical to their outdoor safety. Protective elements such as a safety toecap, water-resistance and a puncture resistant midsole all help to keep feet safe and healthy during the working day.
Workers should prioritise footwear that has been specifically designed to protect their feet from dangers while working and a good start would be to look for boots that are compliant with set industry standards, such as the EN ISO 20345:2011 standard that specifies basic and additional requirements for safety footwear used for general purpose.
The responsibility
Our survey found that more than half (51%) of outdoor workers were unhappy with their boots, with 65% stating that they suffered from cold feet during the winter months, as well as many other complaints such as wet feet (40%), odours (25%), blisters (21%) and chilblains (16%).
It is no surprise, then, to hear that an overwhelming majority (73%) indicated that comfort was the key consideration when buying outdoor working footwear, followed by price and then safety features.
The survey also found that the responsibility of purchasing safety footwear for workers tends to be taken on by the individual, not by the employer. Three quarters of those surveyed stated that they purchased their own boots. Shockingly, 58% of outdoor workers purchase their boots from conventional high street stores or online retailers, instead of from specialist workwear manufacturers or trade counters that would be required to meet those tough industrial standards.
These figures highlight a potential cause for concern on sites across the country, especially in the light of the launch of tougher sentencing guidelines last February. Employers that are found to be responsible for incidents that involve injury to employees could now face fines of more than £10m for serious health and safety breeches, or even £20m in corporate manslaughter cases.
The results highlight a real need to improve industry knowledge regarding the potential dangers from inadequate personal protective equipment (PPE), and the best solutions for tasks being carried out.
The resolution
With a majority of workers buying their own footwear, perhaps without the knowledge of what the best safety footwear solutions are, and the minimum features to look out for, employers need to improve awareness of what is required on site.
Some employers are able to make contributions towards safety footwear purchases, and this would certainly go a long way to ensuring outdoor workers are purchasing the right boots in the first place. However, where this isn’t possible, improving industry knowledge is a good start to driving up standards across the industry, and will ensure that safety will be at the forefront of everyone’s minds.
Image: Voyagerix/Dreamstime.com
