A lot of times most people ignore the safety of their feet when it comes to personal protective gear. While there are a variety of available safety overalls, protective gloves, and safety headgear and eyewear which go a long way in safeguarding you from workplace hazards, they can’t protect you from severe foot injuries.

In a host of workplaces like construction sites, manufacturing industries, railways and roadway development projects, mining sites, as well as logging industries, there is always the lurking danger of heavy loads falling on your feet. Work zones where there is heavy machinery and constant movement of people and vehicles are more prone to occupational accidents. Thus, safety footwear is a crucial necessity in such zones.

Safety shoes protect your feet from sharp objects like nails or blades, slip-and-fall injuries, electric hazards, crushing drop injuries, as well as dangerous chemical and hot oil spills. Work boots need to be reinforced with a protective layer of metals, rubber, or other safety materials to ensure maximum safety.

Different parts of the foot are susceptible to different hazards. When it comes to the bottom of the feet, thicker outsoles or metal shanks protect you from injuries due to stepping onto sharp objects on the ground. A steel toe cap, on the other hand, forms the much-needed barrier of protection on the front tip of the foot which is most susceptible to crushing injuries. Safety work boots in electric hazard environments come reinforced with a non-conductive material like rubber which breaks the flow of electric current and prevents you from being electrocuted or suffering massive shocks.

Industrial shoes also come covered with a spill-resistant coating to protect the feet in damp conditions. Waterproof boots are a must when they are a part of anti-static shoes or dielectric boots. Even a slight amount of moisture can render these safety boots completely useless and endanger your life. This is why water-resistant safety shoes are a must in work areas dealing in chemicals and solvents or having a lot of debris and greasy surfaces.

Best marine, a leading supplier of personal protective equipment provides a wide range of safety compliant footwear for maximum comfort and protection. With big names like 3m, Honeywell, and Ansell as their vendors, you can find some of the best safety shoes online at www.bestmarine.com.

When it comes to protecting the top surface of the foot which is the most exposed area of the foot, you need a complete upper protection. A metal instep provides this much-needed protection by reinforcing your shoe with an additional metal layer. Metal instep footwear is important to safeguard your foot from workplace injuries due to the following causes:

• Heavy falling objects, especially in underground mines
• Sharp piercing articles like nails or blades
• Crushing accidents by heavy boulders or bricks at construction sites
• Chainsaw injuries while logging
• Debris of all kind
• Shards of broken glass

Just like metatarsal boots cover the metatarsal area of the foot, metal instep work shoes provide a comprehensive overall protection for your foot from any and all kinds of blunt force trauma. Mainly used in the construction and manufacturing industries to protect against sharp objects like glass, nails, and all kinds of debris, these safety shoes are a preferred choice for employers in such work zones.

The thing about safety footwear is that multiple safety practices can be combined together in one pair of work boots to enhance their safety, thus allowing you to wear the same shoes in various conditions. Metal instep footwear too can be combined with other levels of protection which are as follows:

• Steel toe caps – To incorporate the protection along with instep protection.
• Waterproof boots – To ensure your feet’s safety against harmful liquids and chemical spills.
• Metal Shanks – To complement the metal instep and provide protection to the insole from sharp objects.
• Anti Static – To prevent damage due to static electricity at work
• Dielectric – To safeguards against electric hazards
• Slip-resistant – To provide higher traction and a firm grip in oily and greasy surfaces

Metal instep footwear is usually combined with any of the above safety precautions to form a strong barrier of protection.

Workplace injuries should never be taken lightly. Foot injuries especially are problematic as they render you or your employees helpless which could disrupt your work and result in severe losses. Also, as most physical jobs require standing on your feet for long hours or walking all day, foot injuries can be a big hassle. In some severe cases, the recuperation period could be as long as a few weeks to a few months. Not to mention that there’s the constant fear of permanent damage. This is exactly why PPE workwear vendors like Best marine supply top-of-the-line premium quality protective workwear to guarantee employee safety.