Wearing safety footwear: What could go wrong? – Canadian Occupational Safety

Ill-fitting safety footwear can do more harm

There are a number of health conditions that can arise from not wearing footwear – or not wearing the appropriate footwear. Issues such as bunions, corns and calluses, blisters, ingrown nails, hammertoes and even more painful conditions such as plantar fasciitis can occur.

“Workers who walk or stand for long periods of time during the workday, without the proper footwear, foot support, shock absorption, they are susceptible to pain and musculoskeletal disorders that can really have lasting effects on the body,” said Kevan Orvitz, owner and founder of MegaComfort, an ergonomic anti-fatigue insole company in Toronto, to COS.

Indeed, as well as the aforementioned ailments, improper safety footwear can also lead to broader issues such as ankle, knee or back pain.

Read more: Your top 10 foot protection questions answered

Could safety footwear be causing your workers harm?

If a worker is not wearing the right shoes for the tasks that they are doing, their safety footwear could actually be doing more harm than good. For example, workers who typically are on their feet all day need supportive insoles as well as a sturdy boot. If they don’t have this, it could lead to conditions such as plantar fasciitis (i.e. heel pain).