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Health, Safety & Environmental Bulletin No 028

P Harrison – 22 September 2006

Footwear

Foot care is often overlooked when we consider health & safety in the workplace. It is seen as trivial
and unimportant compared to other safety issues. This is wrong considering how important our feet are
to us.

Our feet are one the most utilised parts of the human body. They are constantly under stress as we go
about our normal working lives.

Our feet work for us the whole day, whether we stand, run, or walk, and in the process they become the
most affected part of our anatomy.

Many things affect the condition of our feet: activity level, occupation type, other health conditions,
and perhaps most importantly, our shoes / boots.

Feet are often neglected, as people are unaware of the damage that can be caused to them in day-to-day
life.

Being in a working environment where you are on your feet all day is a major cause of foot problems,
as the feet have little time to recuperate before the next working day commences.

People may suffer from pain in their back, legs and knees but may not associate the pain with problems
concerning their feet. Untreated, such problems can lead to more long-term conditions such as chronic
back pain and ligament deformity.

Typical work related foot problems:

Punctures, crushing and lacerations
Usually due to incorrect footwear and untidy workplace practices e.g. loose nails or glass left untidy.

Blisters, calluses and corns
Caused by incorrect footwear and fatigue. Especially prevalent in jobs that involve continuous
standing and walking.

Aching feet
Can be caused by long periods of standing on hard flooring/scissor lifts with inadequate shoes with
hard footpads.