06/30/2011
How Can I Tell If A Shoe Is Slip Resistant?
The Internet can answer a lot of questions, but sometimes the information you find is wrong. For example, various message boards offer the following pieces of advice for how to tell if your shoe is slip resistant:- Usually it is claimed on the box, when you buy it.- It must have a pattern (like car wheels) and must be of a material soft enough to grip.- It will have a rubber sole.- If you try to slip and it resistsWhile that last one might seem like common sense (and not very helpful), do you think the others are correct? It seems pretty logical that a slip resistant shoe should say so on the box, and would probably have a patterned rubber sole, right? In answer to those questions, yesand no.Lack of StandardsThe Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has no specific definition for what qualifies as slip resistant. This leaves lots of room for interpretation, which can be harmful for the consumer who is looking to get a pair of quality slip resistant shoes for work. It also means that two shoes can both have slip resistant on their boxes but behave totally differently on a wet or greasy tile floor. Things like restaurant-tested, great performance, chef approved and so on have no real meaning for most people. Look for test results or a standard that prove the outsole has been verified to perform well under all conditions, not just dry floors.Some Shoes Dont Measure UpAt SR Max, our shoes all meet a minimum coefficient (COF) of 0.40 on High Soil Oily/Wet (HS Oily/Wet) floors, which are the worst potential conditions you could face for a slip and fall at work. This is why we dont carry certain brands of slip resistant shoes, because they simply dont measure up. Be sure to look for standards from the company and brand that you purchase from.Whether youre looking for more information regarding choosing the right slip resistant shoes or trying to find the right slip resistant shoe for you, wed love to talk to you! You can connect with us on Twitter or Facebook and well take the time to answer your questions and address your concerns, because we want you to be confident in the quality of your safety shoes.
Categories: Q & A, Featured | Authored by: SR Max | Posted: 06/30/2011