Safety Footwear – Stats & Facts

For more on foot protection, check out our Safety Footwear Meeting Kit.

The human foot and ankle contain 26 bones, 33 joints and more than a hundred muscles, tendons and ligaments, so injuries to the foot can be especially painful – and slow to heal.
For many workers, such as those in healthcare, shoes that prevent slips on damp floors, provide cushioning when walking and standing hour after hour, and prevent biological contamination are required.
Footwear with ankle protection prevents sparks and burning particles from getting inside a worker’s shoes.
Footwear with good traction prevent slips and falls.
Shoes made of rubber, PVC or neoprene protect against spills of oil, animal fat and chemicals.
Footwear with guards protects feet against falling objects.
Shoes with reinforced soles made of a special flexible metal protect against cuts and punctures.
Workers exposed to electrical hazards need footwear with special soles to protect against shocks.
Hygiene slippers and sandals are great for employees who shower before they leave work.

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%.
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 pounds of pressure. Without safety boots, broken bones, torn ligaments and even amputation could occur – and in extreme cases, even safety boots may be insufficient to prevent damage.
According to the U.S. BLS, 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.