By Jayden Mark
Safety boots are often required on many jobs and are usually required by many OSHA standards and guidelines. But what kind of protection can a pair of boots provide you? And what kind of career paths need them for your safety on the job?
Let's take a look at the benefits of safety boots to make it easier for you to understand why your boss wants you to wear them. And if you don't have a job yet, we'll examine a few in which you're likely to have to wear safety boots every day on the job.
How Safety Boots Protect You
High-quality safety boots will protect your feet from a surprising range of different risks when on the job. Understanding each of these concerns will make it easier for you to choose a pair of boots that fits your needs. Let's take a look at a few of these common dangers.
Keeps You Safe From Fatigue
Does your body feel worn out after every day on the job? Unfortunately, there are many causes of extreme fatigue, including poor ankle and foot support. Thankfully, a good pair of work boots will help you out by supporting your muscles better and minimizing their exhaustion. In this way, you can stay on your feet longer at the job and will have a lower overall fatigue level when you finish for the day.
Helps Prevent Sprain and Pain
Working all day in a demanding physical job will put a definite strain on your body that can be pretty painful. Thankfully, work boots can help. They provide a stronger level of ankle and back protection that will minimize your strain. This benefit is significant because you could develop severe muscle tears and chronic back pain if you don't provide yourself with this overall protection level.
Minimize Impact Damage
Have you ever been working with heavy tools and dropped one on your foot? If so, you likely damaged a toe or even broke one if you were wearing standard shoes or boots. However, safety work boots are designed to prevent crushing injuries that would otherwise throw you out of work for the day or even weeks. Their extra-strength exterior will withstand many heavy blows and keep you on your feet after most heavy impacts.
Decreases Your Puncture Risk
When something sharp falls on a standard pair of shoes, you might run the risk of damaging the shoe or cutting yourself. For example, a sharp piece of metal dropped on a tennis shoe is likely to cut through it and, potentially, cut your toes. However, a robust set of work boots will keep you protected from this danger. That's why metalworkers from many paths of life often use safety boots on the job.
When workers could step on sharp objects or be struck by sharp objects from above, shoes with heavy-duty soles and thick materials surrounding the foot offer the best protection. At construction worksites, for example, many sharp objects could be in someone’s path. A soft-soled shoe might not provide enough protection.
Avoids Electrical Dangers
Depending on your job or career path, you may or may not be exposed to electricity regularly. Unfortunately, this danger is very high when it does occur and could seriously impact your overall health or potentially kill you. Thankfully, many work boots use a strong level of protective material that minimizes your risk of shocks and keeps you safe while on the job.
Prevents Falls and Slips
Even if your workplace takes extraordinary steps to keep the floors clean and safe from slips, you could easily fall while on the job and experience intense pain. For example, a slip and fall while holding a heavy container could cause serious back injuries that may keep you out of work for a long time. Thankfully, high-quality work boots have a non-slip surface that minimizes these risks as much as possible.
Helps in Extreme Weather
If you ever have to work in extreme cold or heat, you might find yourself experiencing problems with your feet that could result in serious injury. Your work boots help against that by providing insulation that keeps your foot warm in the winter and relatively cool in the summer. Some models even have removable insulation that you can take out to keep your foot even cooler during the summer.
Protects Against Burns
If you work with various types of hazardous material, you might end up getting burned or severely scalded if you drop any on your feet. Or if a fire breaks out, and you need to move through it to safety, your feet could get burned. However, high-quality work boots can protect you from many of these issues and minimize their impact as much as possible for their design.
Industries Where You Might Need Safety Boots
Most types of heavy labor jobs will require you to wear high-quality safety boots to protect your feet from damage. However, you may also need safety work boots in a myriad of non-labor careers that vary in various ways. Just a few professions where you might need these boots include:
If you are in any of these industries or are likely to get a job in them soon, it is vital to investigate the types of boots on the market for your needs. For example, if your risk of electrical shock is high, specialized shoes are available with insulated soles. These boots typically consist of a black rubber material that is very safe for electrical use.
And steel-toed boots are helpful for builders or others who may handle heavy objects and worry about damaging their feet if they drop anything. These boots are also useful for people who work heavy hours on hot pavement, as they often have very thick soles that will withstand a high amount of heat-related damage and other issues.
Talk to your boss about the type of work boot that would be best for your job. They can give you a better understanding not only of the model you need but a few brands and specific options that they accept. In this way, you should find it easy to keep your feet healthy and safe from various types of damage.
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