How many of you guys require that your men wear high top leather work boots for the sake of safety? We had a man twist an ankle this week. He was wearing “tennis” shoes, you know, these new fangled running shoes.I always wear my work boots unless I’m on finished floors.What with debris [hopefully kept to minimum], and lumber piles to step over , not to mention the labarinth of cords ,and hoses, I feel better with that support.
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I don't have any men just my own feet. I have winter high boots, winter and summer regular boots and tennis shoes. They are all steel toed and heavy.
Mostly I wear the regular boots. But if I start working around the garage I'll switch to the tennis shoes. I've never needed the steel toe, except it's good for kicking things. My brother found the steel on his steel toed with the chainsaw.
I wonder how Indians got by.
The amount of guys running around in tennis shoes on construction sites kills me. And they don't understand the problem. Of course I started out in the railroad industry where you had a spec sheet for foot gear as long as your arm.
Albert Einstein
I'm fortunate to be working on my own spec/living house....I get to wear my clogs all day unless I have to climb ladders....and now that the weather is nice I don't even wear socks.
My high top steel toe boots blow....hurt my feet cause they're so heavy.
Red Wings.
Its amazing how my clogs hold up through tons of abuse so long and my feet are healthier for it. They don't get jamed up in a stinky compartment.
Be well
a...
The secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!
When we meet, we say, Namaste'..it means..
I'm self-employed and I work alone, but I wear steel-toe'd work boots pretty much every day. Got some arch supports to make them more comfortable (https://www.walkfit.com/). At first the supports killed my feet getting used to them, but now I love 'em and even wear them for evening walks with the DW! BTW, what are "clogs"? Sound comfortable!
"I get to wear my clogs all day unless I have to climb ladders"
Andy,
What are your favorites?
-Jazzdogg-
Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.
Personally, for walking top plates and doing steep roofs, those plastic clogs sold in the garden catalogs are nice.... :-)
all clogs are my favs.........I love clogs...screw work boots or sneakers......just bought me a new pair a clogs the other day.
And my wife is dutch.
Be well
a...The secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!
When we meet, we say, Namaste'..it means..
I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides,
I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth, of peace.
I honor the place within you where if you are in that place in you
and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us.
I used to work with a guy from Sweden who brought a pair of steel toed clogs along with him when he moved to the States. He said they were pretty common back home on job sites.
except for the fact that my feet can slide out of my clogs which they never have, the souls are harder than any work boot, hence no nails in my feet if I step on one and the tops are harder than any work boot and yet ten times more comfortable.
Be well
a...The secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!
When we meet, we say, Namaste'..it means..
I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides,
I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth, of peace.
I honor the place within you where if you are in that place in you
and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us.
aHHH Diversity...the mother of creativity!
I'm always flabbergasted that someone would have the ballz to tell me what I should wear when I'm 40' up on a steep roof, dangling by my ballz trying to survive. Personally, I need the feel of my favorite work boot, but if I felt better in sandals, or barefoot, or clogs, that's what I'd wear and that's what I'd let anyone working for me to wear.
I don't tell the office guys what types of underwear they should wear and I'm not going to listen to them telling me what to wear. Screw em, if I don't mind squished toes, then so be it.
blueJust because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. There are some in here who think I'm a hackmeister...they might be right! Of course, they might be wrong too!
blue
I agre, but the only thing is...if they're on your job you have to pay if they hurt themselves.
As I said.....I'm doing work on on my own crib spec house so its only me I have to answer to.
Be well bro
a...The secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!
When we meet, we say, Namaste'..it means..
I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides,
I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth, of peace.
I honor the place within you where if you are in that place in you
and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us.
I agre, but the only thing is...if they're on your job you have to pay if they hurt themselves.
I agree, I have to pay. I just feel that if I force them to wear shoes that they don't feel comfortable in, then I'm probably increasing the likelihood that they'll fall.
Does Osha tell high wire people circus actors that they should wear boots too? Why not? Won't that wire cut into their feet?
blueJust because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. There are some in here who think I'm a hackmeister...they might be right! Of course, they might be wrong too!
I agree
Cept if I'm on your job climbing up a ladder three stories and wood shingling your job (roof).
don't allow me to wear my clogs cause I probably will...lol....cool thing about clogs in the summer when I have no socks on in em' is I can take em' off and go bare foot up there...so whats a spinter here and there?
Asphalt is another story but I refuse to do those in my old age now.
I try and just do what I enjoy.
Be well
a...The secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!
When we meet, we say, Namaste'..it means..
I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides,
I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth, of peace.
I honor the place within you where if you are in that place in you
and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us.
One issue to be very strict about....good rubber boots when pouring concrete.
Local guy here, working for a concrete contractor, pouring a 12" deep commercial slab, showed up with tennis shoes.
Most of us would have sent him home, but the kid pursuaded the foreman to let him work. After wading around in mud for a couple of hours, his feet were bleeding.
Ended up off work on W/C for 4 months. His feet required skin grafts.
I don't allow sandals or loose falling apart footwear, or untied shoes.
But you might be suprised how some "safety" wear is actually less safe or healthy in some situations.
Heavy boots increase fatigue and can decrease the friction necessary to walk steep roofs, making trips and slips more likely.
Steel safety toes keeps toes cold. Having been just that close to frostbite a few times, i'm not interested in doing that.
I like 8" leather tops myself, with soft smooth sole, and no steel toes.
Most of my guys wear the same or soft atheletic type footwear.
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Wear either 8" or 12" boots all winter, just about every day my legs/ankles feel like lead. The last couple hours at work take forever.
No thanx, boots are put away as soon as it gets warm. ahh....what was the question ?
Piffin, I don't like steel toes for the same reason. Plus in the past when I've had steel toe boots I found the leather on the toes wore out really fast.
What brand do you like? I'm looking for a replacement for the ones I'm wearing now. I don't like lug soles for work, and don't like black soles but I can compromise if the boots are comfortable and will last.
Jay, do you ever get kids ("kids" meaning less than my 31 years) who not only wear sneakers, but don't tie them, and wear their pants falling down their butts? We all get a case of plumber's crack now and then, but these guys come to work with it!
Mike
I wear timberland pro. at sears they sell a hiking type boot with steel toe from timberland. lightweight and about 90 bucks. I have been wearing them for 6 years. (not same pair) I have bought others and have always gone back to the timberland. they are brown color.
kreg
Around here its the law. I send em home if they show up in tennis shoes. I'm liable to be fined if I let anyone work on a site that I'm supervising without proper footwear , subtrades included. .......Rik....
Artacoma, are you aware that you can buy "tennis shoes" that meet safety codes at the Red Wing stores?
I tried a pair that looked like running shoes that had a steel toe. They might be good for some people but I don't like tennis shoes ON MY FEET, on a work site.
blueJust because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. There are some in here who think I'm a hackmeister...they might be right! Of course, they might be wrong too!
The original post was a pro-to-pro question, but for the benefit of the DIYers reading...
As a kid, I saw countless repeats of TV public service announcements by our Worker's Comp people that were award-winners. One was an image of a worker's foot stepping down on a very large nail, pointing upward and just vanishing through the bottom of the boot that didn't have a steel shank. Another was an image of a hammer hitting the top of a spike. In slow motion, a shard of metal flies at the camera and as it hits your virtual eye, the image flashes and goes black. There were many others, but these two stick with me. Those spots should air everywhere, every few years.
Many of our non-professional friends say they have real reservations about doing anything without proper safety shoes and safety goggles - without feeling any loss of cool-points - as a result of growing up with those same images.
We do put on ankle-high safety boots. Being desk-jockeys by week and weekend warriors, they do hurt, and our weak legs get weary. But we wear them. It helps remind us to tidy up a disastrous jobsite when our legs get tired of stepping over crap that should not be there. Feeling them actually reminds me that I'm not in my usual safe environment. Pay attention.
Right now we're doing a job that puts lots of wee splinters, finishing nails and pulled staples on the basement floor, meaning only basic footwear is required. But we keep slip-ons at the transition point for safety. Our joke all week has been announcing to each other in a stern voice, "bedroom slippers are not work-boots!"
I wear New balance running shoes mostly...
Plantar fasciitis...
OW!!!
Got some boots for slogging in the mud and snow.
Sneaks are best for walls and roofs.
Steel toes are for people who drop $hit on thier toes...
not me...
Pay attention... dont do stooopid stuff....pay attention....
oh yeah don't do stoopid stuff...
Best safety advice?practice!!!
Be not stooopid!!!
Pete for POPE!! <!----><!---->
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"Almost certain death, small chance of success.... What are we waiting for???"
When I was 12 years old I saw how my dads steel toed dress shoes kept his toes from being completely cut off on his right foot. When he got back from the doc's office, with a cast, I told him that I wanted some shoes like his. I was working on the neighboring farms and things can happen. We talked for a while about it and decided that low top boots would do the job. He was able to buy them from were he worked, and kept me in boots until I went into the Navy. I have been wearing steel toe boots ever since.
Last month, while at my other project in Richmond,VA, I spotted a Redwing store. I have been wearing Redwings for nearly 20 years now and never knew that they had stores. I needed a new pair of boots anyway so I stopped in. One of the sales guys asked me what type of non alcoholic drink I would like. Then told me that as I could see they were quit busy and to have a look around. They would get to me as soon as they could. When a salesman finely got to me he asked me a few questions that helped both of us decide on the best boot for me to wear. Because I have twisted my ankles so many times through the years I bought high tops this time.
Now those who wear sneakers might think that the $209 I paid for those boots is a bit pricey. But let me ask you this "How many sneakers will you go through in a 5 to 8 year period?". That is the life expectancy of these boots. Every few months I take them back to the store for a free "servicing" (cleaning and waterproofing). They will replace the strings, and even the leather over the steel toe, if they are worn out, for a small fee.
The other day I was wearing shorts and got one of the hooks caught on the bottom side of the second rung of my step ladder. After recovering from the experience of finding myself back on the floor, standing up thank goodness, I went and changed into my long pants.
Sometimes I use the steel toe to set a heavy object down onto and then pull my toes out from under neath it. No pinched fingers that way.
Sorry about rambling on like this but it is a subject that I feel very strongly about.
Safety is like tieing down a load on a flatbed truck. "You will never know if you have to much, but you will d__m sure find out when it is not enough."
Dane
I will always be a beginner as I am always learning.
I have volunteered at a Railroad Museum, working with the full-sized things. We have some strict safety officers, most of whom work as safety folks on the real railroads.
They strongly recommend ankle-high shoes for help in preventing a twisted ankle. The MANDATE that the shoes have a separate heel, and not a smooth sole from front to back like running shoes. When you are climbing on railroad equipment, especially moving ones, you don't want your foot slipping through the climbing irons (and on wet days they can get really slippery).
Having a leg inside the iron and your body dangling down, being dragged through the ballast, running into switch stands, and lookng directly at moving railroad wheels will ruin your whole day.
I have slipped on a ladder putting up christmas lights because I forgot to follow my own advice. Fortunately it was the first rung, and I simply was flat on my back in the snow. My wife did not believe for a moment that I was just practicing making snow angels!
I've taken a liking to light weight hiking shoes. They cost about 25% more than a pair of sneakers and they last a lot longer.
I've got a good pair of red wings but I only wear them when conditions are right. I work in peoples houses sometimes crawling around on the floor. I dont need a pair of gun boats dragging around behind me
Yeah!
I have found out the hard way that too many workboots leave scuffmarks.
Not good on new hardwood!!
Pete for POPE!! <!----><!---->
<!---->
"Almost certain death, small chance of success.... What are we waiting for???"