Feet & Occupational Safety

Care of feet in the work place is a prime safety consideration. Without this care the worker risks continuing discomfort and fatigue, disabling pain and deformity of the feet, loss of work time and secondary medical problems.

Selection of appropriate footwear is essential for foot health, comfort and prevention of further problems. Factors to be considered are:

• The ground or floor surface-whether unyielding (such as concrete), or slippery
• The type of activities involved in the job, eg, continuously standing, stepping up and down, and carrying loads
• Dangers such as electricity, chemicals, extremes of heat, cold or moisture, handling of heavy weights and machinery and
• Individual foot structure and general health, eg, problems with circulation, diabetes, foot skeletal shape or foot function.
  

Many occupations demand the wearing of steel toecap safety boots or special sole materials that are impervious to chemical attack and are secure against slippage.

The human foot is not a flat surface, it is a three-dimensional mobile unit built for adapting to a variety of ground surfaces. When placed in a shoe for protection, the shoe must allow flexibility for ease of movement and also support the foot. A heel that is too high or too low will affect the tilt of the foot and not allow for even distribution of body weight. This will produce body fatigue and hardened painful skin on the bottom of the foot.