Safety Directors Have Spoken: Footwear Struggles You Might be Having

Episode 55

Safety Directors Have Spoken: Footwear Struggles You Might be Having

A survey sent to safety directors has narrowed down the top struggles workers have with their protective footwear. Listen along as Editor Sydny Shepard and Vice President of Marketing at Warson Brands discuss the results of the survey and more.

I’m sure you’ve heard it before: Everyone should be getting 10,000 steps a day. For some, that is a hard to reach goal as their jobs rely on desk work or other types of sedentary tasks. For others though, such as individuals in the manufacturing or construction industries, getting 10,000 steps just requires them to work a portion of their 8-hour shift, making feet tired, sore and possibly leading to chronic conditions. These industries also present numerous tasks that can bring harm to feet such as slips, trips and falls, crushing injuries and more.

So, it is pretty easy for me to say, our feet are the unsung heroes of our mobility and sometimes an overlooked or misunderstood part of any safety program. It is often said that without comfortable foot protection, a worker is risking their safety every day.

On this episode, I am joined by Brent Jennings, Vice President of Marketing at Warson Brands to talk with us all about foot protection from the perspective of a safety director. Warson Brands sent out a survey last year asking for the most pressing issues with safety footwear programs and employees’ struggles with safety footwear as well as the biggest needs for them and their employees going forward.

In our interview, Brent and I get into the results of this survey. What elements are most important in work footwear? What are the biggest problems that make compliance with safety footwear difficult? How can a safety director be sure they are recommending the right footwear for workers? Listen along to find out.

Find this episode of OH&S SafetyPod on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify and more.

A special thank you to:

Warson Brands offers a portfolio of six national brands and over 400 styles of safety footwear for men and women. We have been in the occupational and military footwear business since 1988. We design and engineer footwear for nearly every occupation on the planet. With us, designing and crafting occupational and duty uniform footwear isn't just a sideline, it's our passion, our one and only business. warsonbrands.com

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the former editor of Occupational Health & Safety.

Product Showcase

  • SlateSafety BAND V2

    SlateSafety BAND V2

    SlateSafety's BAND V2 is the most rugged, easy-to-use connected safety wearable to help keep your workforce safe and help prevent heat stress. Worn on the upper arm, this smart PPE device works in tandem with the SlateSafety V2 system and the optional BEACON V2 environmental monitor. It includes comprehensive, enterprise-grade software that provides configurable alert thresholds, real-time alerts, data, and insights into your safety program's performance all while ensuring your data is secure and protected. Try it free for 30 days. 3

  • Preventative Heat Safety

    Dehydration and heat exposure impair physical and cognitive performance. Proper hydration boosts heat stress resilience, but hydration needs are highly individualized and hard to predict across a workforce. Connected Hydration® empowers industrial athletes to stay safe through behavioral interventions, informed by sports science, and equips safety teams with critical insights to anticipate high-risk situations and adapt to evolving environmental factors. Curious about applying the latest in sports science based hydration strategies for industrial athletes? Stop by booth #1112 at AIHA or schedule a free demo today at https://epcr.cc/demo. 3

  • Full Line of Defense Against Combustible Dust Nilfisk

    Nilfisk provides a comprehensive range of industrial vacuums meticulously crafted to adhere to NFPA 652 housekeeping standards, essential for gathering combustible dust in Class I, Group D, and Class II, Groups E, F & G environments or non-classified settings. Our pneumatic vacuums are meticulously engineered to fulfill safety criteria for deployment in hazardous surroundings. Leveraging advanced filtration technology, Nilfisk ensures the secure capture of combustible materials scattered throughout your facility, ranging from fuels, solvents, and metal dust to flour, sugar, and pharmaceutical powders. 3

Featured