Safety Footwear: Keys to protect your Worker’s Feet

Wearing foot protection equipment at the workplace ensures maximum safety for your feet from different deliberating injuries that are likely to cause due to several hazards. With the right selection of footwear equipment, you can considerably minimize the occurrence of minor as well as major foot injuries.

A good industrial safety program wouldn’t only involve selecting the right pair of shoes but also addressing all working and walking surfaces that employees would get exposed to and this would ensure that they’re present in the best possible condition.

The personal protective equipment standards of OSHA would require that employers would have to “assess workplace for determining the presence or likeliness of hazards that necessitates personal protective equipment usage.” Experts also explain how the right safety footwear selection and assessment of hazard can help in avoiding foot injuries.

Getting comfortable fit

Chances are that workers would be having a tough time wearing such apparel if these result in sore and aching feet due to having a poor fit. Safety footwear with steel toes are uncomfortable is a common misconception, but these shoes are present with padding making these comfortable for obtaining a good fit. The right steel toe fitting is vital as when the shoe is narrow or short the cap would feel a little sung at beginning but after a short period of time wearing the ones with wrong fit would be almost impossible.

A few fitting tips would help workers achieve proper occupational foot safety:

• Both feet must be measured – Most people being right handed, have a slightly larger right foot. Measurements can be included from heel to toe, to get best possible information on sizes. The best thing would be to try these before buying.
• Try old and new footwear as well – It would be handy to have an additional pair much before the old pair completely worn out. Workers must be provided with another pair for rotating these in day to day shifts. Both pairs would last long with more comfort.
• Wear normal sock – Wearing too thin or too thick sock while selecting footwear might result in wrong shoe pair selection.

A few tips to keep in mind to get optimum protection for workers through the right set of safety footwear.

1. It’s much better to avoid shoes that don’t match the safety standards put up by ANSI
2. Cleat-designed soles must be selected for slippery environments. With soft soles you get better slippery indoor conditions with rugged and harder soles of cleat-type. These would be ideal for outdoor usage
3. Safety footwear with leather soles offer fine traction for wooden flooring, but won’t be a fine option for concrete or tiles.
4. Safety footwear must be bought from reputable dealers that provide finest quality footwear in the industry.
5. It should be ensured that the employees remain properly fitted for their footwear so their boots and shoes don’t slide or slip.  

Additionally, with these checks having a safety footwear program would simplify your foot protection requirements and further prevent injuries in the workplace. Instead of having off site fittings for safety shoes it would be better to have fitting stations at the site. 

How to Ensure Toe Protection on Your Job Site?

Wondering, how you can keep your toe safe while at the work site? In simple terms, using Industrial Safety Shoes is your way to go. The safety shoes are designed to cater to the needs of a specific user. These ensure that your feet are safe when you are out their working. Depending upon the industry you work in, you’ll need different types of safety shoes to ensure that your feet stay protected. For instance, the choice of safety shoes for an aviation industry will be very different from the pair for the workers engaged in the chemical industry. However, irrespective of the industry you work in, the safety toe options are mandatory. Now, the fact of the matter is, how do you pick which safety toe option is most ideal for you? We have here, come up with some easy options that will help you decide and further select the most perfect option, based on your needs.

Steel Toe Caps

Think of a really heavy thing falling straight on your foot? Ouch! That did hurt, right? Yes! So, in order to keep you protected from this pain, the steel toe is the ideal Safety Equipment. This safety shoe has indeed been the ultimate pick from the falling objects and does a great job at protecting your feet from getting hurt or injured. However, in case you are seeking for an option which is lighter in weight, you really don’t have to look further as we have it here for you.   

Alloy Toe Caps

If not stronger than the steel toe caps, the alloy toe caps are just as strong as the former. It on the other hand is fairly lighter than the steel shoe. So, it can be a great pick for you to keep yourself protected from the falling objects yet reduce the overall foot fatigue. If this doesn’t convince you either, we have another option to help you keep your toe protected at the job site.

Non-Metallic Toe Caps

The Non-Metallic Toe Caps is another lighter yet a more comfortable option for you. This safety shoe uses the non metallic toe and hence are very heat and cold resistant, which makes a huge difference in ensuring safety at the work site. 

We hope this does help you pick the desired pair of safety shoes for your workplace. Safety shoes are easy to find. You can either get Safety Shoes online or buy it from a regular industry protection store. If you have any queries regarding the safety shoes, do let us know in the comment box below.

Safety Shoes-The First Line Of Defense against Foot Injuries

Industrial workers engaged in industries such as petrochemicals and oil & gas are exposed to the dangers of accidents of accidents on a daily basis. As an operations manager, your main aim is to ensure a high level of efficiency of productivity without exposing your workers to any type of dangers. Safety shoes are one of the most primary items that they will require staying on the move while working in oil excavation sites and refineries. Aware of the challenges & myths faced by industrial workers, safety shoes manufacturers across different parts of the world have come up with many new characteristics to meet the needs of buyers.

Keeping the hot and humid conditions in which technicians and engineers work, pioneers in the safety products industry have equipped their shoes with comfortable fabric linings to make them sweat and odour free. In addition to this feature, Allen Cooper safety shoes come with nail guard anti-perforation mid-sole. They also feature a single density PU outsole, molded in-sock which offers a high level of convenience. The out sole of these footwear has anti-static, anti-slip, oil and heat resistant properties. The pairs have a Moccasin design and ensure a high level of agility in challenging working conditions.

But for first time buyers, selecting safety shoes can be a bit of a challenge at the initial stage. If you are one of them, then electricity compliance would be one of the most important factors that you will need to concentrate upon. There is always a high risk of workers getting exposed to electrical currents at the excavation sites or in refineries. Therefore, you need to look for boots that comply with the latest ISI standards and can offer protection to high voltage, open electric currents to your personnel at work.

Metatarsal injuries are some of the most common foot injuries that industrial workers suffer from. The recovery process in case of such injuries is quite time-consuming. Shoes that come with steel toes do not offer metatarsal protection. Therefore, you will need to look for a pair which can offer protection to this part of the user’s body. A number of safety shoes available online come with a shield-like feature that offers a composite toe and extends to the top of the instep. As a result, the user can be safe from any impact felt on his foot while he is on the move.

Check whether the instep has a proper fitting or not. It should be too tight or loose. Pairs that come with loose insteps cause excessive slipping on the heel. Doing so will also ensure that your workers do not experience heel and toe pan which they normally doing while wearing shoes with tight insteps. You will need to take into account the different widths available to select a shoe with the perfect fitting instep. At the initial stage, users are likely to experience slight slippage in the heel area. But it will subside with time and disappear completely.

What Are The Standards In Personal Protection Equipment?

Personal Protection Equipment provides workers protection from the dangers they face in the line of work. It is mandated by law that every employer should provide these devices to their employees if their job involves risk of injury. Within PPE there are several categories:

• Skin protection
• Head protection
• Leg protection
• Eye and face protection
• Hearing protection
• Respiratory protection

Standards in Personal Protection Equipment

Standards in personal protection equipment are there to ensure that the equipment passes several tests before making it into market. In India, govt insists that PPE should meet certain criteria regarding quality. They are:

• Providing full protection: The device in question should provide complete protection from the danger.
• The product should be made of material that can withstand the danger.

PPE should be selected after considering the severity of the danger involved in the job. The nature of the work and the type of harmful substance should be thoroughly considered before selecting the product.

Categories

PPE can be divided into two categories

1. Non-respiratory: Non-respiratory PPE include safety helmets, safety jackets, safety shoes, safety hand gloves and safety spectacles. These products protect different parts of the human body.
2. Respiratory: These include PPE used for protecting someone from inhaling contaminated air. Respiratory masks are included here.

Standards in Head Protection

 

Head protection is the backbone of PPE. There are four classes of safety helmets.

• Class A: Helmets in this category do not provide much safety against electricity.
• Class B: Head protection equipment belonging to this class offer high voltage resistance.
• Class C: These helmets do not offer voltage protection.
• Class D: Protection in firefighting is limited.

Helmets used for scooter and bike riding are called crash helmets and their standards is IS 4151-1993, while the industrial safety helmets come under IS 2925-1984. Standard for firemen’s helmet is IS 2745-1983.
Safety shoes

Safety shoes are the next most important PPE. These protective shoes have steel reinforcement around the toe area, so that they provide protection against piercing and compression.

1. Standard for leather safety shoes and boots is IS: 1989 (Part-1 & 2)-1986. This protective gear should be ankle high. They also should have steel toe-cap.
2. Standard for leather boots for firemen is IS: 4128-1980.
3. Electrical Safety shoes: Though a standard for such safety shoes are being developed IS: 4770-1968 offers a standard for testing protective equipment for electrical work environments.

Body Protection

PPE under this category includes safety jacks and also complete head-to-toe protective suits. Such suits offer protection from a variety of dangers including exposure to harmful chemicals and radioactive materials.

Safety Helmets That You Can Buy Online With Us

After a careful research of the accidents occurring at factory sites and industrial setups, NRETL recommended usage of Personal protective equipment so that your safety can no more remain a matter of chance. Out of several other recommendations tested under Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), safety helmets always remain the most valued safety accessory. It is not just about ensuring industrial safety; the efforts go a long way to promote safety habits at construction sites. Naturally, there has been a trend of buying safety helmets online.

Equally binding it is on the employer to keep you informed about the site areas where there are chances of accidents, (called hard hat areas) so that you do not go there without your site safety helmet. Hard hats are always on sale at nominal prices, so this time when you spend some shopping time online for industrial safety helmets, please look for a good quality safety helmet, for example, Karam, 3M Safety Helmets.

Like all other PPE safety accessories, Industrial safety helmets are used to protect you from all accidents. While at work, you understand how important it is to reduce the risks of mechanical injuries while individual job processes can have the peculiar accident potentials, safety hard hats can go a very long way in minimising the head injury cases in an industrial environment. No more fearing the probability of your workers getting hit by a falling hammer, or from getting struck with the pipe that suddenly missed its bolts.

You must also understand that while safety helmets can reduce the severity of such accidents by a long margin, it is equally important to have the right kind of industrial helmet on your head.

We also have to unveil some of the common reasons why people do not wish to buy or wear helmets. Here are the reasons why you must buy the safety helmets soon.

• Helmets are uncomfortable - Really? Well, we got to be talking about the modern industry-proven safety helmets like Karam's. Not only are they made with the best material to withstand the extreme object falls, but also they are lightweight and have the best air-ventilation to take care of your comfort. Beyond a shadow of the doubt, these helmets are a lot more comfortable choice than remaining exposed to the dangers at work.
• They are not attractive - Says who? Yeah, they are no lady gaga fashion statement, but with the right colour and shape of the hard hat, you can create your personality to suit the work requirements and also your social reputation. I would go for a white safety helmet as it is sober and has positive vibes about it, but you can choose different colours as well.
• Not all wear helmets at my factory - Well, we would recommend everyone to wear the right construction helmet or some other kind so that they remain protected from all pruning accidents. Even if not, it could be that they are seldom exposed to risky areas such as you. Better buy a good quality safety helmet so that you can serve as a good example to your colleagues. The every journey begins with a single step, your step can go a long way in promoting a more healthy and safe industry work practices in your construction site.

Things to look before buying safety helmets

• Size that fits you is the best - Size matters, as the helmet you are going to buy should fit your head. One idea would be to compare the products based on the size and then have an estimate of which safety helmets suits you the best (don't worry, you can always exchange the product if it doesn't fit you)
• Quality proven safety helmet is what keeps you secure - Make sure your selected safety helmet is tested by a competent government quality assurance department such as ISI.
• Color that adds another feather to the hat - A safety helmet is indifferent whichever colour you choose. But your comfort and personality matters, go for the colour of your choice, with a vibrant personality, bold colours like red and blue suits the best. if you are more focused or would like to avoid the unwanted attention, you should check out with a sober and yet attractive colour such as green.
• Other features you get free of cost - Since you’d be wearing your safety helmets for a long time every day, you should consider getting properly air-ventilated safety helmets for you. Do not believe the myth that heavy is strong. On the contrary, the lighter your helmet is, the freer you would feel at work. Of course, since the product is made using robust materials, your safety helmet would always withstand harsh object falls, reducing the mechanical shock to a minimum.

The rule states that all workers in a factory should be wearing suitably tested safety helmet while at work. So whether your employer endorses the safety practices, it is high time you got your safety helmets. Online shopping seems to be a good option, especially since you can find all kinds of brands (specific of each industry domain) at our site itself. In particular, safety helmets from Karam are a hot favorite for most of the construction site workers. Having great endurance and effectively unbreakable material, you would be surprised when you see the Karam Safety Helmets price list. The best at a reasonable price? You would never miss something like this available online at Indusuno, would you?

Construction Safety Improves Productivity Excellence

Productivity in construction, metal, mining and other related industries will always be one of the major factors in assessing organization performance on a specific project. It is essential to lay the same type of focus to the provided safety related elements of undertaking. When this is done right, with the help of safety equipment like safety shoes, the two measures aren’t mutually exclusive.

Social, physical and mental conditions in workplaces and the sufficiency of safety and health measures are among the main indicators of obtaining better quality in work life. In this context, having different measures for health and safety like Karam Safety shoes and 3M goggles would be the general indicators to productivity improving techniques at workplaces is getting more popular in the recent years. The EANPC (European association of national productivity centers) productivity flower consists of various backing factors having notable effects on workplace productivity. All these factors can determine techniques and approaches like using safety helmets, and products for getting improvement in productivity. 


Research Findings- Productivity & Safety Tools

In a renowned study, (Lamm, Massey, Perry, 2006) it was found out that is substantial and compelling evidence that getting a healthy and safe environment for working has the potential to get better productivity in labor and in turn get higher profits. Lamm et al (2006) has also referred to the arguments by various commentators that gains in productivity often come at the expense of health and safety of the workers. Businesses generally strive to get more productivity and by following better safety measures like wearing safety goggles, they are driving their staff to work harder and for longer with better utilization sometimes in extremely hazardous conditions and only implement safety and health measures like using 3M helmets for keeping costs of compensation low (Massey and Perry, 2006; Quinlan and Mayhew, 1999; Dorman 2000; Quinlan 2001). As noted by James (2006), Lamm et al (2006) it is observed that while risk exposure to related machinery has been significantly reduced by wearing safety jackets and safetygloves, various other risks associated with increase in productivity are on rise. 

The research (Lamm et al (2006)) also speaks about efforts for getting productivity increase through occupational health and safety can lead to contradictory results and also points out literature gaps that while no illnesses and occupational injuries have impact on losses suffered in productivity, it isn’t clear whether or not reducing illnesses and injuries will automatically affect gains in productivity.

When talking about work associated health issues, the figures have been even more staggering. No less than 8.6% of workers in EU-27 report problems that are related to health in the past 12 months (LFS data from 2007). This would approximately correspond to 23 million persons. Musculoskeletal issues were mostly reported as main issues related to work (60%), followed by depression, stress and anxiety (14%). 

About 62% of workers having work-related health issues at least stayed for a day in the past 12 months at home; 22% of persons were at leave at least for a month. The estimated figure for work related health issues were about 367 million calendar days of sick leaves for the year 2007. However, this doesn’t yet have 1.4 million people who never wish to work again due to these concerns.

In case the workplace doesn’t have any good measures for controlling safety system like suing respiratory protection mask and hearing protection, then there is ample of room for both safety and productivity to suffer. Avoiding such situation would be the best thing to do and it becomes possible by using Allen Cooper safety shoes with a lean and smart thinking approach for dealing with projects on a regular basis. 

With the key findings and figures, we can state that a bad work environment without proper safety would lead to hampered and restricted overall productivity. All issues found in the workplace can be tackled by using appropriate safety standards and PPE.