Key Takeaways:
– Appreciating the value of foot PPE
– Learning about common foot workplace hazards
– Recognizing common types of foot PPE
– Understanding the proper fit for foot PPE
– Comprehending how to care for foot PPE
– Acknowleding employee and employer responsibilities regarding foor PPE

Course Description
The aim of this course is to explain and teach you about foot personal protective equipment. Examples are often referred to as special boots and shoes. Too often, workplace accidents resulting from inappropriate footwear will put an individual out of work and cost both the employer and injured worker a lot of money. It is so important to choose the right footwear because otherwise the likelihood of injury increases dramatically.

Workplace Dangers
Different job duties will make you susceptible to different types of injuries. Common workplace dangers contributing to the need for protective footwear include:
– Falling heavy objects (bricks, machines)
– Sharp items (nails)
– Hot or cold materials (cold storage locations, paving asphalt)
– Electric current (electric current which conducts through shoes)
– Hazardous liquids (welding sparks, molten metal, pesticide application)
– Slippery walking surfaces (kitchens, auto garages)

Types of Foot Protection
There are a variety of workplace footwear forms, from different types of boots to non-shoe protection. OSHA supplies a list of types of foot protection and boots for the workplace:
– Metatarsal guards: Metatarsal guards can be attached to the outside of your shoes, to protect your instep area from getting crushed by heavy objects.
– Toe guards: Toe guards coat the ends of regular shoes to help prevent foot injuries.
– Electrically conductive boots: Electrically conductive boots reduce the buildup of static electricity. Hazardous locations such as explosives manufacturing facilities or grain elevators require conductive shoes to minimize the risk of static electricity buildup on the body which could produce a spark and cause an explosion or fire.
– Electrical hazard, safety-toe boots: Electrical hazard, safety-toe boots are nonconductive and stop the wearers’ feet from completing an electrical circuit to the ground. Such shoes can protect against open circuits of up to 600 volts in dry conditions, in addition to helping minimize the risk of a worker becoming a path for hazardous electrical energy.
– Foundry boots: Foundry boots protect the feet from the extreme heat of molten metal, and prevent hot metal from lodging in shoe eyelets, tongues or other shoe parts.
– Waterproof or water-resistant boots: Waterproof and water-resistant boots ensure that the wearers’ feet are dry when a working in wet conditions.
– Slip-resistant boots: Slip-resistant boots have specific soles to provide traction on wet or oily floors.
– Insulated boots: Insulated boots maintain the foot warmth in cold weather.