Studies reveal that more than a thousand people suffer serious injuries every month as a result of slips, trips or falls in the workplace. That's 12,000 injuries per annum, with their resulting pain, disability and time off work, something that's completely avoidable by adopting sensible actions and precautions, like keeping floors clean and dry, and providing appropriate safety footwear.

Safety footwear fulfils a multitude of roles. It is not only about the impact on the toecap, but much more about its other functions. The tread pattern can protect against slipping, the type of material under the foot can protect from heat and cuts, and good safety footwear that incorporates shock absorbing elements can help prevent MSDs (MusculoSkeletal Disorders) if people are working for a lot of hours on their feet.

The foot produces a lot of moisture, so breathability and hygiene are important, especially if an individual is working for long periods of time when the foot could become hot and damp, so the product needs to keep the foot dry.

To maximise safety and efficiency, safety footwear has to be worn, so the wearer must be willing to wear it. Indeed, if you are expected to wear a product for 8 hours or more a day you want it to be comfortable, meet the relevant safety standards, and also look reasonable.

Till about 10 years ago India used to import Safety Shoes for workers functioning in challenging environments where they were exposed to the hazards of slippery floors, acids, heavy falling objects, excessive ground heat, electric shocks, and sharp fallen objects.

An initiative was then taken by Liberty Shoes to develop an all-terrain professional gear for the feet as per Euro Safety Norms (EN-345) and IS 15298 2002 (Part I and II). The footwear, brand named Warrior, was tested and certified by PFI Pirmaseans of Germany and approved by Footwear Design and Development Institute, Government of India.

The developmental process of Warrior involved listening and communicating with the users of Safety Footwear who were encouraged to put questions to the manufacturers because it was felt that no question can be a superfluous question where people's health and safety is concerned - any question is a good question if it improves safety.

The result was improved slip-resistant safety footwear with dual density polyurethane soles that are anti-static, abrasion, oil and petrol resistant and heat resistant up to 120?C besides featuring a steel toecap with impact resistance of up to 200 joules

. (Liberty Shoes Limited, Gurgaon, Haryana. Tel: 0124-4616200. Fax: 91-124-4616222. Email: mail@liberty.in)