Safety footwear – what do I need to know? - iSB Group Blog

Rank: Super forum user


I'm about to embark on a risky adventure and need your collective advice.

We need to start from scratch in providing appropriate protective footwear for a group of staff (they're porters but their duties include moving gas cylinders etc.). I'm OK on the risk side of things, it's more the practicalities of selecting and providing the footwear. I expect pockets of resistance and want to be sure we've gone through this in the right way. For example....

What's a good number of prospective suppliers to investigate?
Tips on who to include in any trials
Tips on how to conduct the trials
How seriously do you take vague "they hurt my feet" feedback? And how best to resolve this.

Just want to benefit from your experience, really. Maybe this could be a good reference thread.

Thanks in advance.

Rank: Super forum user


Generally there are a few excellent suppliers out there and some rather less excellent. Go by reputation and cost - for a healthcare environment you will have a considerable sum to spend so you should get a really good discount. I buy my stuff from Arco, not the cheapest but a good reliable organisation.

As for individual shoes - one size does not fit all. You probably need to specify a few types of shoe(5 or 6 maybe) a mixture of normal and wide fitting with different styles and then make that the choice that the porters have. This way, if their feet hurt they only have themselves to blame. If you are specifying more than one style of shoe, you won't need trials. Rank: Super forum user


What are the risks identified to indicate the protection needed? You mention gas cylinders, so I am assuming you are thinking toe protection in case of drop / mishandling, but I would have thought that non-slip soles may be a priority too?

If you can list and prioritise all the problem areas (slipping, fatigue, handling heavy objects etc.) your supplier should be able to help much more. Size range can be an issue - make sure range includes smaller sizes down to 3. I am assuming porters come in all sizes and genders.

Also there may need to be a 'look' for the footwear, not H&S but won't be acceptable if boots when 'office-type shoe' is expected.

Insoles can help if all else is perfect but for individual fit.
The HSL have done great work on non-slip soled footwear. Rank: Super forum user


I have been through this exact situation and its not going to be easy! Be certain for your justification for implementing the safety footwear and use risk assessment, incident reports (previous injury or near miss) and compare to what others in similar workplaces are doing e.g. what risks they have implemented safety footwear to protect against.
I would advise actually measuring peoples feet as UK/Euro sizes differ, left and right foot can be of different size etc. For the work of a porter you require a shoe that meets BS/EN 345 S3. Provide the best shoe you can afford and have a policy in place regarding care and maintenance/replacement and have each staff member sign a declaration that they have read and understand the policy. I have a note in mine stating that they do not have to sign to state that they agree with the content of the policy but that they understand it. Doesn't really matter if they agree or not!
Kevin Rank: Super forum user


Boots is the only normal PPE item where we don't have a company standard item. That is, for eg helmets, there's a standard hard-hat that you get, likewise safety glasses, general manual handling gloves, hi-vis (though all those things are in a range of sizes, obviously).

For boots, we set a performance criterion (in our case EN ISO S3 or SB+P+E+WRU with ankle support and laces, zip or other positive fastening) and a budget and let people choose their own. They can either buy for themselves and make a claim for the money (in which case we also want to see the boots to check they aren't obviously dodgy chinese fakes) or pick something from one of our established suppliers catalogues in which case the company buys them.

Since adopting this approach we've had no complaints (compared to a minor trickle when it was a case of we held a stock of a couple of variants in a range of sizes and people had one of them). There's something about 'buy-in' here - because actually picking from a catalogue ought to result in more poor cases of poor fitting than if you get to try on a couple from stores and can choose what fits best. It seems that when people have made the choice themselves they accept the consequences more than if they perceive they had less choice.

We do have a relatively generous budget though.

regards, Ian SMith
Rank: Super forum user


I'd agree with achrn. If possible give them a budget, criteria and a source and let them choose from a selection of styles. By giving them a choice you will hopefully reduce any conflict that a mandatory "you must wear this shoe" policy will inevitably surface? We tend to give them a Greenham catalogue which has a useful safety icon checklist to indicate which ones have toecaps, midsoles, anti-static, water repellant etc. So long as the footwear they choose has a tick next to each of the icons we specify and falls below a budgetary limit they can have the choice of style/colour/brand that they desire. You can usually return and switch if they dont like them with most suppliers and if it is a potentially high value order they may even send a rep out with samples for your workers to try on - always worth asking your potential supplier for this service as it can certainly help promote buy-in at an early stage. Rank: Super forum user


We other the staff here two options; 1 is that they sit down with a reputable H&S suppliers catalogue and choose a pair they think suits their needs. This is then discussed, the budget is agreed and the boots/shoes are purchased. The 2 is that they go out and buy their own, bring in the receipt and claim the cost back. The boots/shoes are then check by myself to ensure they meet the criterion ie. EN ISO .
This method may be of some use to you, but remember to keep a log of who has what and when, otherwise if will be difficult to keep track of it all.
We generally suggest that boots/shoes are replaced every year, or when ever they become damaged or worn out. Rank: Forum user


As mentioned in a previous comment - not only is it important for you to purchase a shoe that protects your workers feet from gas cylinders being dropped on their feet, but also for the shoe to be non slip.

In regards to which shoe to buy - I personally purchase shoes that cover the relevant areas of safety (non slip, steel toe capped etc) at the cheapest price I can find that meet British Standards. If any staff dislike the 'brand' or style of shoe then I would allow them to purchase the more stylish and expensive pair of shoe and reimburse them the money back - but only reimburse to the cost of the shoe that I would have purchased. Any extra costs would be up to the individual to pay for.

Moving on to other aspects - ensure you have an area to accommodate the shoes for when they are not being used, such as lockers or changing rooms. Also, once you have purchased the shoes; ask your staff to complete a simple PPE register which has includes the date that the PPE was given to staff, the department, the type of PPE, and the members of staffs signature. Rank: Super forum user


In general the advice already given is good. I work in a power generation environment and an approach you may wish to consider is to give a supplier of safety kit such as Arco (Others exist) but not a direct manufacturer a call and invite them to send a rep round. The GOOD ones will be working with your best interest in mind and will be able to give you some very good advice based on feedback from other customers in a similar field. They will almost certainly also help to produce a bespoke list of footwear that meets your technical specification and cost consideration and be a wide enough choice that people will be happy. This route also results in a 24hr delivery and if done properly a returns policy should the shoes / boots not fit or "hurt" in some way. Other beneifts - bulk buying drives cost down, even if the bulk is bought over 12 months or so and other PPE, safety kit procurement issues may be resolved.

Go for a good supplier, get a rep in your office and talk to them, with if necessary some of the guys who can then help to choose and take "ownership" of the footwear issues for you,

Jim