Unique Innovations In Safety Shoes

Innovations in trade workwear can not only come from distilling some of the most effective safety and production techniques from the past but looking to the future in terms of effective design, additional layering of safety materials and enhanced materials.

Whilst the Dutch Klomp has still found use as a European standard accredited safety shoe, there are also more modern innovations that help to ensure workers are safer now than ever before.

Here are just a few examples of unique safety shoe innovations.

Alternatives To Steel Toe Caps

Work shoes are often still known as steel toe cap boots despite a growing number of work shoes being low-cut to allow for more ankle movement in situations where ankle protection is less vital, and often not featuring any metal.

Materials such as kevlar, composites and carbon fibre are increasingly common replacements for steel for a variety of different reasons.

The first is that they are lighter, allowing for either better protection or better flexibility of movement depending on the particular design, and unlike metal’s proclivity to bend, tend to be safer and easier to remove in the case of an accident where the toe cap is put to the test.

Finally, due to the increased presence of metal detectors, alternatives have become more popular to avoid lengthy testing procedures and allow for non-metallic shoes to be made.

The Importance Of Comfort

As much an innovation in design philosophy as it is a specific technology, but as safety materials have improved there has been a greater emphasis not only on resisting new potential threats and hazards to life but also on keeping people comfortable after long hours spent on their feet.

A growing focus on ergonomics across the entire world of work has emphasised the importance of comfort in avoiding long-term health and mobility issues, and it is here where safety shoes have also kept innovating.

Additional cushioning has been made available to keep the ankle comfortable and sculpted soles fit better around the foot’s actual shape, enabling people to work longer with shoes that feel closer to street shoes but provide a considerable amount of protection.

Advanced Specialised Materials

Whilst there have always been different types of work shoes for certain jobs, such as rigger boots and boots used as part of chainsaw safety equipment, the increased development of new materials and the advances in computer-aided design in clothing have allowed for more specialised shoes for specific job roles.

For example, waterproof linings in shoes that protect against other hazards have increasingly become more breathable, keeping feet cool and dry at the same time and preventing a range of long-term conditions.

As well as this, road workers working at night benefit from advances in reflective equipment, with webbing that catches the light from headlamps and ensures workers can be more easily seen when undertaking repairs at night.

As well as this, enhancements in sole design allow for more advanced slip resistance by channelling liquid away from the foot and allowing enough friction to ensure a worker retains their grip.