Foot and Leg Protection
Employees who face possible foot or leg injuries from falling or rolling objects or from crushing or penetrating materials should wear protective footwear.
Employees whose work involves exposure to hot substances or corrosive or poisonous materials must have protective gear to cover exposed body parts, including legs and feet. If an employee's feet may be exposed to electrical hazards, non-conductive footwear should be worn. Workplace exposure to static electricity may make the use of conductive footwear necessary.
Examples of situations in which an employee should wear foot and/or leg protection include:
- When heavy objects such as barrels or tools might roll onto or fall on the employee's feet;
- Working with sharp objects such as nails or spikes that could pierce the soles or uppers of ordinary shoes;
- Exposure to molten metal that might splash on feet or legs;
- Working on or around hot, wet or slippery surfaces; and
- Working when electrical hazards are present.
Foot and leg protection choices include the following:
- Leggings protect the lower legs and feet from heat hazards such as molten metal or welding sparks. Safety snaps allow leggings to be removed quickly.
- Metatarsal guards protect the instep area from impact and compression. Made of aluminum, steel, fiber or plastic, these guards may be strapped to the outside of shoes.
- Toe guards fit over the toes of regular shoes to protect the toes from impact and compression hazards. They may be made of steel, aluminum or plastic.
- Combination foot and shin guards protect the lower legs and feet and may be used in combination with toe guards when greater protection is needed.
- Safety shoes have impact-resistant toes and heat-resistant soles that protect the feet against hot work surfaces common in roofing, paving and hot metal industries. The metal insoles of some safety shoes protect against puncture wounds. Safety shoes may also be designed to be electrically conductive to prevent the buildup of static electricity in areas with the potential for explosive atmospheres or nonconductive to protect employees from workplace electrical hazards.
- Electrically conductive shoes provide protection against the buildup of static electricity. Employees working in explosive and hazardous locations such as explosives manufacturing facilities or grain elevators must wear conductive shoes to reduce the risk of static electricity buildup on the body that could produce a spark and cause an explosion or fire.
- Electrical hazard, safety-toe shoes are nonconductive and will prevent the feet from completing an electrical circuit to the ground. These shoes can protect against open circuits of up to 600 volts in dry conditions and should be used in conjunction with other insulating equipment.
- Foundry Shoes insulate the feet from the extreme heat of molten metal, and keep hot metal from lodging in shoe eyelets, tongues or other shoe parts.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
1-4. Employees working in explosive and hazardous locations such as explosives manufacturing facilities or grain elevators must wear _____.
You forgot to answer the question!