Foot Safety – Its a Shoe in for Safety Stats and Facts

FACTS

Some foot problems are so common that they can occur in any workplace and under any working conditions.

1. Foot Problems

• Severely aching feet, blisters, calluses, corns, rheumatism, arthritis, malformations of toes, fallen arches (flat feet), bunions, sprains
• Sweaty feet, fungal infections (athlete’s foot)

2. Common Causes

– Long periods of standing, hard flooring, and poorly fitted footwear:

–  high heels

–  pointed shoes

–  lack of arch support

–  too loose or too tight footwear

3. Hot and humid environment, strenuous work, footwear with synthetic (non- porous) uppers.

STATS

• Under RIDDOR, reporting regulations accidents involving footwear, whether or not there were any safety footwear accident claims involved, must be reported. The data set contains 24,182 accidents with an accuracy of around 95%.
• The construction industry is, due to the risky nature of work performed, one of the largest reporters of PPE-related accidents and is the largest reporter of fatal injuries. Of the 9,000 incidents each year the manufacturing and service industries report the largest number of major injury accidents.
• One of the most common PPE injuries involving footwear is crushing due to heavy objects being dropped onto the foot. A steel toecap will help prevent crushing from up to 200 joules of pressure.
• According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 100,000 workers sustained foot injuries in 2017 just by wearing improper shoes. The majority of these injuries were caused by falling objects and heavy equipment that resulted in bruises and lacerations, puncture wounds, fractures, broken bones, and crushing of workers’ feet and ankles.