There are a lot of hazards out there for workers, and employers are expected to try to minimize their risks by adhering to certain safety protocols.
While you may not think of your footwear as “personal protective equipment” or PPE, the government does. One of the top reasons that many employers want you to wear steel-toed boots is the fact that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) wants your feet to be protected from common workplace dangers. Steel-toed boots the “go-to” footwear for so many industries for a few key reasons.
Protection from falling objects, impact injuries and toe compression
A dropped tool on a construction site, a pallet of raw materials that gets tipped over near the assembly line or a box falling from a warehouse shelf can cause significant damage to your foot, leaving you with broken bones or worse. Sneakers or a regular boot don’t offer enough solid protection to withstand much, but a steel-toed boot might.
In addition to protecting against falling objects, steel-toed boots offer remarkable impact resistance. In environments where you may inadvertently bump your toe into equipment, machinery supplies or a steel beam, these boots act as a buffer, reducing the force of impact on your foot. This can prevent painful contusions and other minor injuries that, while not life-threatening, can still lead to significant pain and lost time at work.
Plus, many industrial accidents involve heavy objects rolling over workers’ feet, particularly in areas with frequent forklift traffic. Steel-toed boots are designed to resist toe compression, which means they can withstand the pressure exerted by a heavy object. Without this protection, you would be incredibly vulnerable to catastrophic crush injuries to your toes, which can result in amputations and permanent disability.
Finally, steel-toed boots are typically designed with non-slip soles, reducing the risk of slips, trips and falls in the workplace. That can be a critical safety issue if you work someplace where the floor is prone to getting wet or when a fall on concrete could easily leave you with a traumatic brain injury or spinal cord damage.
By enforcing the use of steel-toed boots, employers create a safer work environment – but no system is perfect. If you end up with a foot injury at work, you likely have every right to expect workers’ compensation to provide you with important benefits. If your claim doesn’t go as expected, however, you may need to explore additional legal options.
