Steel Toe Boot Struck By A Pallet Truck

Whenever there is a chance of foot injuries due to impact, falling, or rolling hazards, objects piercing the sole, or electrical hazards, approved safety footwear is required. This broad requirement was a part of the 1994 OSHA PPE standard 1910.136. Management is required to make a hazard assessment of the workplace to make a determination as to what PPE is required. The forms needed to make these assessments are at the end of this chapter. All protective footwear must conq)ly with ANSI Z41.1 1991 American Standard for Personal Protection -Protective Footwear. The standard steel toe shoe or boot must be chosen to fit the tasks, hazards, and environment in which they will be worn. 

Some 180,000 disabling foot and toe injuries occur each year. The number of injuries requiring first aid treatment is unknown. In addition, the number of times that a foot is saved because a box, roll, pipe, spike, steel bar, or other heavy object bounces off the steel toe is not known. 

The typical steel toe boot or shoe offers protection for the toe area with the exception of the little toe, which cannot be covered. The reason for this unprotected area is that the required flexing of the foot and shoe rules out a steel toe (or fiberglass toe) that extends further back onto the shoe. If the steel toe were larger, employees could not bend the shoe properly to walk, bend, or climb. Metatarsal guards offer more protection to the instep of the foot from falling objects. The metatarsal bones can be easily injured. When the metatarsal bones are injured the victim has difficulty in standing or walking. 

Electricians or anyone else facing electrical hazards should be equipped with a specially manufactured shoe that has safeguards from high-voltage exposures. 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that there are more than 85,000 eye injuries in the workplace each year. Of all the individuals that experience eye injuries at work, the BLS reports that only 10 percent were wearing eye protection. Studies also show that if employees are not accustomed to and trained to wear eye protection at work, it is more likely that off-the-job injuries to the eyes will continue to be a societal problem. A breakdown of injuries reveals this national problem. The United States Eye Injury Registry (USEIR) from December 1992 revealed the following data  

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