Proper footwear is a fundamental part of our Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) safety program.
OSHA requires that employees wear protective footwear when working in arears where there is a danger of foot injuries.
Many of our units within FREAS require that approved safety shoes be worn at all times. Safety shoes should always be worn when walking through a project construction site.
Please see the FREAS SharePoint page under Safety for more information on this topic and a list of all previous Weekly Safety Messages issued this year.
Extended Safety Message:
- When workers think of personal protective equipment (PPE) it is often focused on hard hats, safety glasses, or gloves. However, foot protection is equally important.
- OSHA Standard 1910.136(a) states that the employer shall ensure that each affected employee uses protective footwear when working in areas where there is a danger of foot injuries.
- These dangers include falling or rolling objects, piercing objects, electrical and shock hazards, hot substances, slippery or wet surfaces, chemical substances, and sharp surfaces.
- The most common considerations for worker foot protection are to the toe area from impact. Other considerations include: metatarsal impact protection, conductive properties, electric shock resistance, static reduction properties, puncture resistance and dielectric properties.
- Basic steel toe or hard toe work boots should be considered when performing common workplace activities such as lifting heavy objects.
- Steel or hard toe shoes must meet specific standards for protection.
- Consider using foot protection designed for muddy, water soaked, or wet environments such as water proof rubber boots or boot covers.
- Be sure to check that your boots are labeled “slip and oil resistant” if you will be working on slippery or wet surface.
- UD will pay towards the purchase of new safety shoes as defined in the applicable CBA and the FREAS Safety Footwear Policy issued on 2/24/2017.
- The M&O unit arranges for footwear vendors shoe-mobile to come to the UD campus for the convenience of our employees.
- You may use these vendors or other safety footwear suppliers as long as your shoes meet the regulatory requirements.