Steel toe footwear surround your toes and provide protection. If there is heavy equipment or machinery in your workplace this footwear can help to prevent serious injuries. The steel under sole protects the foot when stepping on sharp objects. If it comes to a choice of wearing safety footwear or losing a toe, I believe the former will always win. If you injure your feet you can actually do enough damage to prevent you from working again.
Safety boots also protect your ankles and they provide protection from falling objects and sharp materials. There is presently no VAT on safety foot wear with ankle protection.
Employers’ duties
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 makes it quite clear that the employer has to provide a safe working environment. In addition, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 also require employers to conduct a suitable and sufficient risk assessment on the health and safety of their workers. If any risks are found then they must be removed or reduced.
The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1999 also say that, if a risk has been identified and cannot be controlled any other way, then protective equipment must be provided.
This includes footwear. If an employer provides protective equipment, such as footwear, then it must be provided free of charge and there must be instructions on how to use it safely.
Pennline offer a full range of safety footwear suitable for many different industries. Please call or contact our team today to discuss your requirements
