Page 33 - Occupational Health & Safety, January/February 2020

ed brands, which are also subjected to rigorous internal and inde- pendent third-party testing to further ensure all safety standards are met and/or exceeded.
Industry Expertise
It’s important for a footwear provider to understand the unique work environments a company and its workers deal with. Know- ing whether or not a specific boot will provide adequate, long-term protection requires a thorough understanding of what the job ac- tually involves, including the relevant surfaces, potential contami- nants and physical requirements. An optimal provider will have experience developing purpose-built safety solutions for a variety of industries and use that expertise to ensure your employees are properly protected.
Distribution Footprint
Accessibility is another attribute to look for in a footwear partner. If your workers can’t purchase footwear easily, it will likely cause them to purchase the wrong type of footwear or wear worn-out boots that don’t offer the right level of protection.
Whether it’s conveniently located retail stores or mobile shoe trucks, go with a provider that can properly fit and administer solu- tions in an efficient manner. It is ideal to meet with your provider through physical locations or in person to provide workers with properly fitting footwear so they are comfortable and safe on the job, or to troubleshoot any issues.
Full-Service Partnership
A safety provider should have a solutions-first, product-second mindset. A good partner will seek to form a close, strategic rela- tionship with all stakeholders in order to determine the biggest safety risks posed to workers and provide ongoing solutions and education to mitigate those risks.
Look for partners that provide modern services, including vir- tual platforms that enable you to easily and quickly access product and order information. This will help reduce administration time, mitigate risks by assuring the right products are selected for the job and eliminate costly waste and inaccuracies. The best safety provid- ers will be a true one-stop shop and simplify the entire footwear procurement process to allow safety managers to stay focused on key business activities and workers’ needs while remaining confi- dent their workers are safe on the job.
Finally, to further simplify your processes and eliminate costs, consider seeking a footwear provider that also manufactures other personal protection equipment such as gloves, workwear, safety glasses and more. This increases efficiencies by allowing you to take full advantage of the partnership and leverage the manufacturer’s knowledge of the industry to ensure your workers are protected from head-to-toe on the job.
James Iwanski is the director of industrial business at Red Wing Shoe Company.
REFERENCES
1. https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/work/costs/work-injury-costs/ 2. https://data.bls.gov/gqt/InitialPage
www.ohsonline.com
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Circle 19 on card.