Depending on the hazards in your workplace, workers may need to use personal protective equipment footwear on the job. Choosing the right footwear is extremely important in order to provide appropriate protection.
According to Washington state law, an employer’s responsibility is to make sure employees have, use, and care for the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).
Assessing the Environment
- The first step is to conduct and document a PPE Hazard Assessment before any PPE is selected and used.
- Assess the work environment and identify any possible foot hazards and how you can protect against them. The assessment will help you determine the right footwear for each job and hazard.
- Educate workers about when it is necessary to use the PPE, what type of PPE footwear should be used, how to put it on, adjust it, wear it and take it off.
- Maintain all PPE footwear in a clean and reliable fashion.
- Ensure footwear fits comfortably for each worker that will use it because that encourages worker use. Furthermore, when it does not fit properly, a worker may be dangerously exposed to the hazard.
Don’t forget to address PPE footwear in your required Accident Prevention Program. The APP should list hazards present, the selection, maintenance and use of the PPE, details about training and the cadence of it, and monitoring of the PPE program to ensure its ongoing effectiveness.
Workers should also be trained on limitations of the PPE, the useful life and disposal of the it.
Safety Shoes
Outfitting employees with appropriate footwear will reduce the chance of injuries. Protecting employees’ feet with good industrial footwear improves productivity, heightens morals and cuts lost work hours.
One type of PPE is a pair of safety shoes to address specific hazards. Wearing safety shows can effectively prevent serious injuries to your feet and toes. Examples of potential injury causes includes but is not limited to:
- Falling objects
- Rolling objects
- Sharp objects
- Slippery surfaces
- Cold surfaces and environments such as snow and ice
- Hot surfaces
- Piercing/cutting injuries
- Electrical hazards
Make certain your workers’ safety shoes meet the applicable consensus standards. The protective footwear you choose must comply with the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard F2413-05, formerly the American National Standards Institute’s (ANSI) Z41-1999. This standard covers minimum requirements for the design, performance, testing and classification of protective footwear. The letters F2413 reference the performance requirement for foot protection.
For example, ASTM F2413-18 is a standard that covers footwear that’s constructed and manufactured such that the protective toe cap is an integral and permanent part of the footwear.
All footwear manufactured to the ASTM specification must be marked with the specific portion of the standard with which it complies. One shoe of each pair must be legibly marked (stitched in, stamped on, pressure-sensitive label, etc.) on either the surface of the tongue, shaft, gusset, or lining.
Keeping your APP up to date will help you prevent costly workplace injuries and keep workers working.
PIM Savvy is ready to help you with these and other topics individually over the phone, via online meetings, or in person at one of our workshops. We have safety and labor expertise to share with you and we can connect you with L&I. Not only that, in partnership with L&I, these services are FREE to you!
Cheers!
PIM Savvy Inc.
Additional Resources:
L&I Link to Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) Information
L&I link to Accident Prevention Program Resources
https://www.osha.gov/personal-protective-equipment
