Slips and trips account for the majority of major injuries in the workplace
As an example of the scale of injuries, throughout 2013 there were 78,222 reported non-fatal injuries to employees. 19,707 of these were reported as major injuries, with the most common being accidents involving slips and trips (43 per cent), followed by falls from a height (13 per cent). The former can be largely reduced should the correct safety footwear be implemented into the workplace.
When sourcing safety footwear, whether safety boots, safety shoes or safety trainers are required, the soles of safety footwear should carry one of three certifications, dependent on where they are to be worn. Footwear carrying the term SRA means that it has been developed and tested to resist slipping on ceramic surfaces with ‘soap’. SRB means that the footwear has been developed to resist slipping on steel with glycerol, and safety footwear carrying an SRC certification means that it has been tested and developed to resist both, resulting in safety footwear with extremely good slip resistance.
Gorilla Safety Footwear’s Clive Astin commented: “Of course, when we think about safety footwear, the first thing that comes to mind is protecting against falling objects with steel or composite toecaps and metatarsal protectors, and protection from penetration with midsole protection. However, when one considers the magnitude of injuries from slips and trips, selecting a capable slip resistant sole is of utmost importance”. He added; “With a little more consideration when buying safety boots, safety shoes and safety trainers, there’s no doubt about it that the vast proportion of accidents attributed to slips and trips can be avoided”.
Gorilla Safety Footwear enables visitors to select boots by industry, by safety standard and also by properties including SRA, SRB and SRC slip resistance.
www.gorillasafetyfootwear.co.uk.