Many female’s go out their way to look and feel good at work whether it be wearing make-up, good clothes or even that expensive pair of high heel shoes. At the recent TUC conference a common problem was discussed, women and high heels at work.
Some companies still have a dress code which may include high heel shoes – obviously for their female employees – this has to be changed to sensible flatter shoes as many female’s are suffering with bad feet. It has been estimated that as many as 2 million working days are lost every year due to women wearing high heels, that’s equates to around £300 million lost to British industry.
According to the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists wearing high heeled shoes can increase the amount of pressure on the ball of your foot by as much as seven times and constant wearing will cause:
1. Problems with lower limbs such as knee and ankle
2. Foot problems such as corns and bunions.
3. Painful foot deformities.
As well as all the potential medical conditions there is much more to watch out for, as with any place of employment a proper risk assessment has to be carried out. Footwear is very important to your personal safety within a work place. Would you allow an employee to wear high heel shoes in a warehouse? No! So, why allow someone from an office to walk through the factory floor especially not knowing all the potential hazards.
With the changing of the seasons this brings its own set of hazards, dark mornings and wet weather, as water is one the major slip hazards in the workplace proper footwear has to be worn. Any water that manages to get onto the factory floor has to be swept up and dried. Again woman that are forced to wear high heeled shoes will find this a difficult time and might end up injured through a slip, trip or fall – thanks, mainly to wearing high heel shoes.
Women have the right to choose which footwear is right for them, not only for comfort, but will also protect them from slips, trips and falls.
One Response
Safety is the number one concern at work !
An unsafe work environment results in more accidents, which increases workers compensation costs.