Safety footwear plays an important part in creating a safe and healthy work environment, protecting workers’ feet – and workers themselves – from inherent dangers in the workplace.
Safety shoes are available with different features and specifications – from steel midsoles, to steel toecaps and metatarsal protectors – all designed to protect the feet. While necessary to protect the outside of the foot, safety footwear is not always good for the foot itself.
The Bova Trax 2.0 range of safety footwear protects workers’ feet from workplace hazards and promotes healthy feet.
This relates to the issue of designing ethical safety footwear – that is, footwear that protects the foot and best promotes foot health. Safety footwear designers should allow for the natural action of the foot to stimulate healthy blood flow, and at the same time protect the wearer from various workplace hazards. An additional challenge presents itself in the fact that the feet of South Africans are different to those of some other nationalities.
How do we strike the balance between protecting workers’ feet and keeping them healthy? Those in charge of workplace health and safety need to look at three things.
It starts with the shape
The shape, alignment and proportional design of the mould is important, but so too is the positioning and flexibility of the sole. With increased sole flexibility, the new Bova Trax 2.0 range has improved the flexion of the sole significantly, which increases blood flow through the feet and the body. Healthy foot blood flow has many positive effects. It prevents fatigue, aids concentration, decreases stress and supports healthy cardiovascular and foot function.
The weight of the shoe
The weight of a safety shoe or boot can affect the wearer’s energy levels. Reducing the weight on a sole reduces the energy that has to be exerted per step. For an individual taking 8 000 to 10 000 steps a day and spending long hours on their feet, any reduction in the weight of the shoe will reduce physical exertion. Weight in the Bova Trax 2.0 range has been reduced by 261 g per pair (based on a pair of size 8 shoes) on average. This takes the equivalent of 1.3 kg off the back and reduces energy exerted by up to 2.8% per step.
A multi-layered approach
Employers should look for safety footwear that provides multiple layers of shock absorption and comfort. Safety footwear in the Bova Trax 2.0 range provides three layers of comfort technology that work together to absorb shock, reduce fatigue and improve overall foot health.
Bova Trax 2.0 has been designed in consultation with an expert podiatrist and guided by data collected from a broad spectrum of South African wearers. This led to a safety footwear range that provides more flexibility, is lighter in weight, has better traction and delivers greater comfort than safety footwear previously available.
For more information visit www.bova.co.za/new-trax-range.