&#;Over the last couple of decades, the type of industry or environment in which you&#;re now required to wear them has been broadening. In the past, salespeople working in the office and who occasionally went onto the shop floor would wear their regular shoes. But regulations have tightened up, and they&#;re now mandated to have a pair of safety footwear on if they go onto the shop floor,&#; he says.
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2. When exactly are they required?
Safety footwear protects workers&#; feet and legs against a variety of crush, puncture, chemical and burn injuries. These injuries result from hazards including: heavy objects falling, dropping or rolling onto feet; sharp objects that can cut the top of feet; materials, such as nails, that can penetrate bottoms or sides of feet; hot, corrosive or poisonous substances; splatters from welding, molten metal; chemicals; electrical hazards; static electrical discharges; and slips and trips caused by hazardous walking surfaces and environmental conditions, including uneven terrain, slippery surfaces and extreme temperatures.
Safety boots, made chiefly of leather, help protect against these hazards because they include elements such as protective toecap; metatarsal guard (which protects the top side of the foot) and protective sole plate (a metallic or non-metallic component that provides puncture protection to the sole of the foot). High-cut boots provide support against ankle injury.
3. What is the CSA standard for safety shoes, and do I have to follow it?
Occupational health and safety regulations in most jurisdictions in Canada require that safety footwear meet the requirements of CSA Z195:14 Protective Footwear. The standard, reaffirmed in , includes design and performance requirements for protective footwear, including requirements for toe impact protection, sole puncture protection, metatarsal protection, electric-shock-resistant and slip-resistant soles, as well as for static-dissipative footwear and for slip-resisting footwear.
Andrew Violi, president of Toronto-based Mellow Walk Footwear and chairman of the Z195 technical committee, says the standard provides employers and safety managers with information on protective footwear that meets a very high bar for safety.
People who work in laboratories face a wide range of daily workplace challenges that make choosing the right personal protective equipment (PPE) extremely important. With the right PPE, employers can minimize workplace accidents and significantly improve employee well-being, which in turn will have a positive effect on performance and productivity. However, selecting the right PPE is not an easy task. In this article, we explain which factors are important to consider for appropriate product selection.
PPE should be selected based primarily on the hazards of the workplace. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), laboratory workers are exposed to several hazards including:
When working in the laboratory, concentration is key, so ensuring your PPE does not distract from your performance is paramount. In order to achieve this, it is fundamental to analyze the conditions in the laboratory and to take a closer look at application. For instance, selecting the wrong coating for safety glasses might cause the lenses to fog up which can create disturbances and reduce the focus on the task, which in turn might lead to errors, accidents, and lower compliance. In the case of coating selection, several external factors must be considered such as:
Therefore, it is important to undertake a risk assessment to identify all the potential hazards to which laboratory workers may be exposed during work operations and determine the PPE requirements.
Besides chemical and biological risks, laboratory workers also experience psychological and physical stress due to high levels of concentration, time pressure, constrained posture, and monotonous activity. The PPE standards are mainly focused on direct hazards, leaving aside comfort and ergonomics - factors that are crucial to reducing psychological and physical stress, enhancing performance and reducing hazards in the long-term. The &#;pyramid of ergonomics&#; below shows the consequences of selecting PPE that doesn&#;t fulfil the ergonomic principle.
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In regard to ergonomics, it is important to consider several factors such as:
For example, safety shoes that are ergonomically designed, lightweight and flexible with a multi-layer shock absorption system, support the natural movement of the entire body, reducing fatigue and musculoskeletal problems, as well as enhancing concentration and performance during the working day.
When thinking about fit, the first and most vital thing to remember is that one size does not fit all. Most protective devices are available in multiple sizes and care should be taken to select the proper size for each employee. The wrong size can create discomfort and reduce the performance of the PPE. For instance, respiratory masks that don´t have the proper fit can create leakages, reducing the wearer´s protection.
In the case of safety footwear, the width of the shoe is also an important factor to consider but one which is unfortunately often forgotten. Tight shoes can cause nerve entrapment in the foot, which can lead to pain, discomfort, and numbness. Wearing shoes that are too tight for long periods of time can also damage the intermetatarsal nerves (metatarsus) and lead to the development of a relatively common benign fibrous tumor &#; Morton&#;s neuroma.
Finally, sustainability is a factor that is becoming more and more important for product selection. After all, when it comes to safety, it´s not only about protecting our employees but also our planet and future generations. There are many factors that must be reviewed on this point, both at the product and the production level, including:
Always remember to review these five essential factors when choosing the appropriate PPE to ensure that you are reducing workplace hazards and improving employee well-being, which will result in performance and productivity increases.
https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/OSHAlaboratory-safety-guidance.pdf
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