Occupational FOOTWEAR Washington DC

Many of your customers are stand-up guys and gals. That is, they spend a good portion of the workday on their feet. It stands to reason that the shoes you sell them ought to be comfortable, but they may need footwear that offers something more as well.

Along with the comfort and support may come specific requirements for occupational footwear. The term cuts a broad swath these days; it's not enough even to divide on-the-job footwear into "work" and "safety" categories. A whole host of national and international standards governing the design and manufacture of occupational footwear comes into play.

The category has grown up around these standards, which range from slip resistance to protection against electrical hazards. And because customers in a variety of occupations are called on to use footwear that has specific requirements, these products come in a variety of styles as well. There may be clogs and trainers as well as shoes and boots. And those shoes may need to go with the uniform of a nurse, the logo-ed apparel of a restaurant worker, or the suit and tie of a construction manager. Therefore, it's important that your store's selection run the gamut in terms of selection.

Simply put, occupational footwear is footwear with specific characteristics that is required while the employee is on duty. Within this umbrella category, occupational footwear products can be said to fall into one of seven categories. They include:

• Impact/compression-resistant footwear, which uses a steel, composite or plastic cap (i.e. a safety toe) to protect the wearer's feet against falling objects or the crushing impact of heavy, rolling objects. Most industrial, manufacturing, and distribution work situations demand safety toe shoes.
• Metatarsal shoes are designed to prevent or reduce injuries when the metatarsal (upper foot) and toe areas are exposed to potential "drop" hazards. Metatarsal guards should be worn on jobs that involve a forklift or where workers carry heavier objects that could be dropped on their feet.
• Puncture-resistant footwear should conform to a set of ANSI standards that reduce the possibility of puncture wounds to the soles of the feet. Such nails, glass, or sharp metal that could penetrate the soles of conventional footwear could bring on such wounds.
• Electrical hazard shoes are nonconductive. They're designed to reduce the potential for electric shock when the soles are exposed to open circuits of 600 volts or less under dry conditions. Work situations where this footwear is called for include construction sites and jobs that bring workers into the presence of live electrical conductors.
• Conductive shoes are designed to minimize static electricity and therefore reduce the possibility of ignition of volatile chemicals or explosives, including those that would be found at gunpowder factories and printing plants. These shoes discharge static electricity from the wearer's body into grounded floors, and are not to be worn near electrical hazards.
• Electric static dissipative (ESD) footwear reduces static electricity by conducting a charge from the body to the ground, maintaining a high level of electrical resistance under test procedures. These shoes protect the wearer from electrical hazards due to excessively low footwear resistance. This type of shoe should be worn in the presence of flammable or explosive materials or when the employee handles sensitive electronic equipment.
• Slip-resistant footwear is primarily required in the hospitality industry. However, this footwear is becoming more common in a variety of other industries, and some manufacturers offer both indoor and outdoor models. The composition and tread pattern of these shoes offer better traction than standard shoes.

Gaining traction

There are other characteristics of occupational footwear that may not be specifically spelled out by ANSI or ASTM International. As defined by the Warson Group, which manufactures occupational footwear these may include outdoor traction, in which "the shoe incorporates a special lug design on the bottom of the shoes' sole to provide improved traction on grass covered outdoor surfaces"; security-friendly—i.e. non-metallic to avoid setting off metal detectors; insulated with Thinsulate or other materials to keep the wearers' feet warm and comfortable; or waterproof.

Warson also offers a couple of proprietary inserts. Its F2A Athletic Insert, for example, is described as "a soft molded polyurethane insert that cushions and cradles foot, provides additional shock absorbing blown polyurethane ball and heel pads and a moisture absorbing fabric covering."

For all that particular work environments mandate the use of occupational footwear, not every worker shows up on the job site properly shod. While many employees make an effort to be compliant and wear the proper shoes, some look on it as a chore or—worse yet—one more thing the boss is telling them to do. These employees may cut corners by making their selection based the lowest price or what's available at a chain discount store.

For retailers as well as employers, this compliance gap can be an issue. It's pretty obvious where the problem lies for the storeowner: Would-be customers who aren't buying the shoes mean lost sales. Looking at the quandary from the employer's standpoint as well as the employee's can help you devise an effective merchandising strategy for this category.

What does the employer have to lose from an employee who doesn't use the proper occupational footwear? Plenty, in terms of loss of productivity if that employee is injured on the job. Consider that the employer will want to maintain as much control over the situation as possible, and then consider some of the implications for your footwear department.

One course of action for an employer is to provide employees with a laundry list: specific performance features the on-the-job footwear has to have. The employer may further exert control over the situation by requiring employees to buy only from mobile shoe vendors who offer products that meet the employer's requirements.

The local retailer who can provide a wide variety of styles, sizes, and rating types has a clear advantage. Along with maintaining selection, consider meeting area employers halfway, finding out from them what types of occupational footwear they want their employees to use.