Various government regulatory agencies mandate the type of foot wear worn in some workplaces. Assessments are performed on the work site and potential hazards are identified and considered in order to arrive at a requirement. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is the federal regulatory agency. Each state may then have its own version of OSHA that handles additional state requirements that must be met.
Some work places may only require safety shoes, where the primary function of the shoe is to provide a specialized tread to prevent slip accidents that could translate to injuries. These shoes are most likely to be required in restaurants, or other locations, where the floor surface is apt to be slippery. Usually, when you think of safety you probably think of industrial sites where steel toed boots or shoes are required in order to meet OSHA regulations. This footwear must meet very specific compression and impact standards. OSHA requires boots and shoes to meet American Society of Testing and Measurement standards. It is important to know what the standards are to make sure your boots meet the requirements of your work site. Boots and shoes are given an impact and compression rating that specifies the weight limits that they will protect your feet at. It is important to know the ratings, if these limits were to be exceeded, your boots may not protect your feet. Boots carry these markings on a tab sewn inside of the boot. Boots offer better protection than shoes because of the additional plating designed to protect the instep of your foot.
Steel toed boots should always be worn where required. A crushing injury caused by a falling object is extremely painful and can result in serious damage to the foot structure and possibly loss of the foot. Always think safety first.
Have you suffered a foot or ankle injury? Dr. Bowman, from Houston Foot Specialists, is an expert at treating injuries and ailments of the foot and ankle. His diagnostic procedures include X-Rays, computed tomography, ultrasound and MRI. If you have a foot or ankle injury, need surgery to correct an injury or deformity, or suffer a condition causing you pain, call Dr. Bowman at (713) 467-8886 and let him meet your feet. Also check out the wide array of products and services that are available.
References:
http://www.houstonfootspecialists.com/services.html
http://www.constructiongear.com/about-steel-toe-work-boots.html
Such great reminders here about keeping feet safe on the job - there are many occupations that put feet at serious risk not properly protected.
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