Slip Resistant Shoes - the Implications

Slip resistant shoes have become an important consideration in the business plans of a firm. While this may sound silly - how is it possible that slip resistant shoes have managed to become so important?

The reasons are quite simple as it is associated with the fundamental aspect of any business i.e. to make money. Various studies and industrial statistics have shown that the accidents that have occurred due to the lack of slip resistant shoes have managed to limit a firm's profit generating capabilities. In the US alone certain studies place this figure at around 5 billion dollars, when considering the whole of the private sector. These expenses are caused due to worker injury, realization that the floors need to be remade and most of all the slowing down of business.

So nowadays much research and investment has been put into producing better slip resistant shoes and most of the firms have set aside significant amount of funds so that its employees are able to buy slip resistant shoes. So where are the slip resistant shoes used? It's used heavily in most businesses be it a restaurant, a food processing plant, heavy industries and even in hospitals too.

What are the good characteristics of a good slip resistant shoe? The main factor here is the treading and its the tread depth. This is the height that the tread has from the sole of the shoe to the slippery surface. However the tread can become shorter and ineffective due to wear and tear. Hence replacement and spare planning are important considerations of a successful slip resistant shoe program. Next is the tread's pattern i.e. the shape of the treading matters a lot. So mainly closed threading patterns are not preferred as they enable objects to get stuck in between them leading to ineffective slip resistance. The material used to make the threading is also important. It is generally accepted that softer materials are better for traction but again softer materials tend to suffice to effects of wear and tear more easily.

Then there are specially available slip resistance soles that one can fit on to one's set of normal work shoes. But these tend to assume soft and polished surfaces as in a restaurant or hospital, so they are not preferable for industrial use. There are certain ways or methods by which the life of a slip resistant shoe can be increased. One of the simplest of ways is to maintain them properly i.e. to regularly clean them and make sure that no objects are stuck in between the treading. Another simple method is to only wear your slip resistant shoes while you are at work because if you wear them outside of work the shoe gets exposed to more wear and tear. For industrial use one should buy the steel toe slip resistant shoes only and the normal soft toe slip resistant shoes will probably work for all other kinds of work.

To conclude slip resistant shoes are a very much a necessity not just to reduce corporate expenses but also for personal safety reasons.