Recent studies show that we need to walk at least 10,000 steps every day — a number which translates into about five miles — but people who work in offices may only clock in 3,000 steps every day. Construction workers, on the other hand, can log more than 30,000 steps during the course of an average work day, and employers are concerned by the high rate of shoe-related work accidents. Every year, there are more than 4,000 fatal accidents in the workplace, and fully 25% of those accidents involve slipping and falling. If your workplace is particularly hazardous, you must make sure that you wear the proper footwear: workplace accidents cost employers more than $1 billion – per week.
Wearing the proper safety footwear is akin to wearing a seat belt in a vehicle. Studies of workplace injuries that involved slipping and falling found that 75% of workers who hurt their feet were not wearing the recommended footwear. Companies in the United States are actually required to conduct safety assessments each year and their report encompasses safety equipment for workers’ feet and legs. If you are in the market for professional foot protection, you may want to consider desert boots that utilize technology that was originally designed for American soldiers stationed overseas. Your boots should have some extra room near your toes: boots should also come with an internal steel plate to prevent injury from preventable accidents at work.
There are two classes of safety shoes: Class 50 and Class 75. Class 75 desert boots are made for both women and men, and they are shock rated. They have a permanent steel cap over the toe area, and the Class 75 desert boots have a higher rating for impacts than the Class 50 boots. The best steel toe boots are also non-slip: if you are working in a hazardous environment, you need to be aware that you are constantly vulnerable to accidental slips and falls. Desert boots are also designed to repel chemicals and to hold their shape over the course of a period of extensive use. If you are walking more than 10,000 steps every day at work alone, you should be looking for high traction work boots and you should make sure to wear them every day. Experts recommend replacing your shoes every six months, or sooner if you log more than 15 miles at work every day.
The market for work safety desert boots remains strong around the world, but too often workers do not wear the prescribed safety equipment. Every workplace has mandatory protective requirements, and if workers decline to wear safety equipment and footwear then they could be at risk of losing their jobs. The cost of preventable accidents can run into the millions of dollars — worker’s compensation, legal counsel, and fines — and workplaces seek to avoid accidents and to minimize worker risk wherever they can. Safety equipment is used for a reason, and if you see any employee compromising safety standards, you should contact management and make a report.
Worker safety continues to be high priority for management, but too often, workers are reluctant to report safety violations that they have witnessed. Many American manufacturing companies are shifting to anonymous tip lines and reporting procedures so that workers can report any relevant rule breaking. Workers may break safety rules in an attempt to speed up production, but the safety risks — and potential fines — are too great to ignore. Desert work boots and other safety equipment cannot be optional, and manufacturers should continue to conduct onsite safety assessments. If enough workers feel encouraged to report dangerous safety violations, then there should be fewer preventable accidents every year. $1 billion per week is too high a cost for the manufacturing industry to continue to bear.