No matter what your warehouse is used for, you’re sure to be working and standing on your feet around heavy objects and vehicles for long hours.

This line of work calls for hard-wearing comfortable fitting safety shoes that keep you safe from injury and your employer compliant with safety regulations.

The Work Warehouse has been supplying men’s and women’s work boots Australia-wide since 1989, and we know a thing or two about keeping workers in our industry safe.

Whether you need to know about comfort, stability, protection, or durability in your next pair of safety work boots, this blog should answer all of your questions.

If we’ve missed anything important, get in touch to learn more about what type of shoes to wear in a warehouse. It’s in our name, after all!

Protection

We’re beginning here with the safety features of the shoe, because this is undoubtedly the most important part of a shoe for warehouse wear.

Your employer should be able to recommend the type of shoe that you’ll need and the work that it will need to withstand.

For example, if you’ll be lifting heavy items you’ll need a shoe with steel or composite toes. The alternative is a catastrophic injury that could put you out of work for an indeterminate length of time.

Warehouse shoes should also be slip resistant, so check the soling pattern tread on the bottom for deep grooves made from tough nitrile or PU material that won’t wear away too quickly,and offers good slip resistance. Just like a car tyre, once this tread has worn to a certain point, it’s time to replace them for your own safety’s sake.

Finally, on safety, protection from electrical hazards may be important at your workplace, so check that the chosen shoe has this feature.

Stability

After hours on your feet, you’ll be thankful that you chose shoes that could hold their shape and cradle your feet in a pain-free manner. This comes from shoes which have a solid cushioned innersole, midsoles with some softness to absorb impact, fit and padding.

Without these elements, your warehouse shoe will be no better than your loafers at home and will overwork all of the muscles around your foot and ankle, increasing the chance of an injury occurring.

Durability

Popular brands are just that for good reason – they last long and support the wearer. We highly suggest avoiding cheaper, lesser-known brands as these shoes are sure to fall apart long before you quit your job.

This will only lead to higher clothing costs as you’re forced to replace your boots with a more reliable pair.

At The Work Warehouse, we feature reliable brands like Redback and Mongrel both being Australian made products, along with other quality brands such as Puma, Steel Blue and Blundstone.  All are household names that have been trusted in warehouses for decades.

General Advice

Get two pairs

Not only will your shoes become sweaty and smelly with little chance to dry between shifts, but your feet will thank you for switching things up each day. This will prevent the same spots from coming under stress in the same pair of shoes.

Find two pairs that you like and alternate between them. The added bonus here is that you can compare which brand suits you best and opt for them next time.

Invest in insoles

If you have a history of problems with your feet, warehouse work may only accentuate them. So it is wise to see a podiatrist who can suggest a treatment. This will likely include some insoles for your work boots that will ease any pain you might experience. We also offer a Wide Load fitting boot for people with hard to fit wide feet, Bunions etc that maybe aggravated by footwear being too tight and narrow.

You may be amazed at how correcting your feet can have a positive impact on the rest of your body.

Get in Touch

The Work Warehouse has been providing high-quality workwear for over 30 years and we are proud of the brands in our range.

To learn more about footwear in the warehouse, get in touch with our friendly team and find the shoe that’s right for you.

KNOW YOUR SUNSCREEN

Sunscreens come in many formulations and delivery methods, and it can take trial and error to find the one you like best. Whether it’s a sport spray, an easy-to-use stick or a rich moisturizer with antiaging ingredients, the best sunscreen is the one you will use every day.

SPF stands for sun protection factor. The number tells you how long the sun’s UVB rays would take to redden your skin when using a particular sunscreen compared with the amount of time without sunscreen. So if you use an SPF 15 product exactly as directed (applied generously and evenly, and reapplied after two hours or after sweating or swimming), it would take you 15 times longer to burn than if you weren’t wearing sunscreen.

Broad spectrum. The words “broad spectrum” on a label indicate that the sunscreen contains ingredients that effectively protect against UVA rays as well as UVB.

Water resistance. While sunscreens can’t claim to be waterproof, they can be labeled water resistant for either 40 or 80 minutes. Yes, you can burn even when you’re in the water, so reapplying is key!

Sensitive skin. Products containing zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, sometimes referred to as mineral or physical formulas, may be less likely to cause skin irritation in people who have sensitive skin.

The pitfall: Most people don’t apply sunscreen exactly as directed. They may not apply it liberally enough, might miss spots and may forget to reapply regularly. Slather it on!

A new Duke University study examined a variety of masks to see which are most effective at blocking respiratory droplets to protect wearers and the people around them.

BEST MASKS:

• Surgical N95. This mask is manufactured to surgical standards to provide a tight seal around the face. However, because of a shortage, most experts ask members of the general public to avoid acquiring these masks so they can be reserved for health professionals.
• Three-layer simple surgical mask. Widely available and found to provide the next-highest level of protection.
• Cotton. The researchers examined several different types of cotton masks and found most of them were fairly effective, but described the best as a “Cotton-polypropylene-cotton mask.”

By now we all know that N-95 masks are better than surgical masks which are better than cloth masks which are better than a scarf or bandana.

WORST MASKS:

• Fleece: The study found that this type of face covering is worse than no mask at all. The researchers found that fleece face coverings – for example, a gaiter neck fleece – actually break up respiratory droplets into smaller droplets rather than blocking them, releasing a larger number of individual droplets into the air. Those smaller droplets are lighter in weight and therefore stay airborne longer. “Considering that smaller particles are airborne longer than large droplets (larger droplets sink faster), the use of such a mask might be counterproductive,” the researchers wrote.

• Bandanas were also considered ineffective, though not quite as bad as no mask at all.

• Knitted: These types of masks were not effective at blocking respiratory droplets.

Below are the range of masks that the Duke study tested.

Duke researchers say, naturally, the most effective mask was the N95. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains that N95 are not only masks, but respirators that filter out at least 95% of particles in the air. N95s also fit more securely than a regular face mask does, allowing for minimal leakage.

While the Australian Standards do not indicate a set replacement schedule for protective eyewear, at some point, your safety glasses will need to be replaced.

Whether it’s from normal wear and tear, or changes to your circumstances, here are five signs that it’s time to replace your safety specs.

1. You have recently changed jobs, started a new job or increased your responsibilities to include new tasks

Choosing protective eyewear is a detailed process that takes into consideration the characteristics of the wearer, task and environment.

In other words, you can’t just pick up any old pair of safety specs and assume they’ll do. Any changes to your work environment or tasks may require a new pair.

Factors to consider include:

• The hazards you’re protecting against.
• Whether safety glasses, goggles, face shields or a combination are appropriate for the task.
• The impact rating of your protective eyewear—low, medium, high or extra high.
• Whether UV protection is necessary.
• The type of lenses and special coatings required, such as amber, clear, smoke, polarised, mirror, indoor/outdoor.
• The frame shape of the eyewear, based on your face shape.
• Whether you require prescription lenses.
• Compliance and certification of the product to Australian and international standards.

The wrong eyewear could increase your risk of an injury, so before you do a few extra jobs around the site, ensure your safety glasses can adequately protect you from all the hazards.

2. Your safety eyewear is damaged

If your safety specs or goggles get damaged, then they’re unable to do their job of protecting your eyes.

Whether it’s a knock from a projectile that cracks the lens or notable scratches that impair your vision, you don’t want a damaged pair of specs between you and a hazard.

This also applies if you’ve used your safety glasses for a task that they’re not fit for. Exposure to chemicals or heat could compromise the integrity of the equipment, making it unwise to keep using them, even for their intended purpose.

The lifespan of personal protective equipment (PPE) can be affected by a lot of factors, including usage rates, exposure to UV, chemicals, dirt and sweat, and appropriate cleaning and storage.

Consequently, caring for your protective eyewear is an important part of avoiding preventable damage and ensuring that it is always fit for use.

Always check the manufacturer’s instructions for their recommendations for cleaning, maintenance and storage of the product.

3. Your safety eyewear is old

While we don’t recommend jumping on board with every new fad, new PPE has a lot going for it.

At ProChoice Safety Gear, we’re always working to improve our products, using new technology and materials to increase their effectiveness, comfort and fit.

While an old pair of safety specs may have served you well, it’s worth checking out new products on the market to see if you’re missing out on features that could be offering greater protection.

Additionally, any time a Standard is updated, you should double check that your current PPE is still compliant.

4. Your prescription changes

This one is for all of you out there using prescription safety eyewear. Any time your prescription is updated, you need to get a new pair of safety glasses. No excuses.

And if you’re not having regular eye checks at the optometrist, then you should probably start going again, especially if you’ve noticed yourself squinting or getting headaches.

Being unable to see clearly is not going to help you stay safe.

5. You can’t see clearly and it’s not your eyesight

Perhaps your lenses stay blurry despite cleaning, they’re always fogging up or the sun’s glare is bothering you more recently.

As safety glasses age, special surface coatings can start to wear away and offer less protection, resulting in less clarity of vision.

Just like with prescription lenses, if you can’t see clearly then you need a new pair.

Is it time to replace your safety glasses? Check out our new ProChoice Surge Polarised Safety Glasses and Switch Safety Glasses. Both offer 99.9 per cent UV protection with anti-fog, anti-scratch, medium impact lenses. Coloured lens and smoke lens options allow you to choose the pair that most suits your needs.

Insect bites can not only be painful or itchy, they can also cause disease. Bisley offers workwear with a unique Permethrin Insect Protection treatment that stays effective for up to 100 washes.

– Superior protection against insect bites, including mosquitoes, ticks, lice and bed bugs
– Protection for up to 100 washes
– 100% knock down rates after contact up to approximately 72 minutes
– No repetition of treatment necessary
– We recommend that exposed skin not covered by Bisley Insect Protection garments should be protected by an approved insect repellent

Insects and their transmittable diseases:

• Mosquitoes transmit malaria, dengue fever or yellow fever
• Fleas host encephalitis germs as well as agents of other diseases
• Ticks transmit lyme borreliosis
• Tsetse flies transmit sleeping sickness
• Sand flies can transmit leishmaniasis