What Type of Work Shoes Should You Wear in a Warehouse?

May 26, 2023

A person wearing a warehouse work shoes that is covered in mud.

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.

SKIN CANCER PREVENTION

September 16, 2020

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!

Which face masks are the most (and least) effective at stopping COVID-19 exposure?

August 12, 2020

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.”
  • 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.

Masks That The Duke Study Tested
(Duke University)

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.

DISPOSABLE MASKS

February 18, 2020

DISPOSABLE SAFETY MASKS

 Disposable respirators are a critical piece of protective equipment for workers or people working in hazardous environments. They protect from inhaling harmful dust particles, smoke, fumes, mists, gases, sprays, vapours, chemicals, aerosols and other airborne contaminants that are a great risk to respiratory health.

Particulate Disposable Respirators

These are the simplest, least protective and least expensive types of respirators used. Particulate respirators protect against airborne particles like dust, mist and fumes but don’t offer any form of protection against airborne contaminants like gases, chemicals and vapours. They do not protect against gases. Commonly known as P1, P2, P3 or N-95 filtering facepiece respirators or dust masks, they are designed for a very close facial fit and are often used widely in healthcare facilities, construction and metal fabrication industries. They work by purifying particles in the air as you breath. The difference in these particulate respirators are as follows:

  • Surgical Masks– designed to prevent exposure of patients to the wearer’s saliva and respiratory secretions. Do not protect against particle or chemical exposure.
  • P1 rated respirators– retain about 80% of particles smaller than 2 micrometres. Protects against low levels of dust.
  • P2 rated respirators– retain about 94% of particles smaller than 0.5 micrometre. Protect against mechanically generated particles, but also protect against mists, fumes and vapours arising from jobs such as welding, spraying, painting and garden dusting.
  • P3 rated respirators– retain about 99.95% of particles smaller than 0.5. Protects against dusts containing: beryllium, antimony, arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, nickel, radium, strychnine, radioactive particles.
  • N95 rated respirators– This mask is almost identical to the P2 rated masks, however the N95 classification means the mask complies with USA testing requirements

P2 Disposable Safety Masks

P2 respirators are appropriate for the majority of airborne precautions encountered in these industries: healthcare facilities, mining industry, chemical industry, steel fabrication / metalworking industry (version with exhalation valve), and intensive woodworking industry.

Class P1 or P2 dust masks are primarily used for particle protection and WILL NOT protect against chemicals or toxic vapours such as: organic vapours from paint fumes, thinners or glue; acid fumes; or gases such as carbon monoxide from petrol engines.

They comply with the Australian NZ standard AS/NZS 1716:2012. They also comply with European testing requirements.

Do I need a Valved P2 Disposable Respirator ?

The P2 disposable masks increase inhalation resistance. The longer they are used, the more difficult it is to breathe due to absorbed dusts. Furthermore, their effectiveness is reduced accordingly to the growth of carbon dioxide and water vapour between the half-mask bowl and face (so-called dead zone). The carbon dioxide concentration within the dead zone increases after every exhalation.

Therefore, P2 disposable respirators with non-return exhalation valves, accelerating gas circulations, are recommended in order to improve the comfort of use and improve effectiveness of the mask. The valve allows air to carbon dioxide to escape, which makes the mask safer and more comfortable to wear.

What are Activated Carbon Masks ?

P2 rated respirators are available with carbon activated filters for protection against nuisance-level organic vapours. Activated carbon, also called activate charcoal, is a form of carbon processed to have small, low-volume pores that increase the surface area available for adsorption or chemical reactions. Activated carbon can be coated to masks in order to improve the effectiveness in reducing the pollutants.

The activated carbon layer in P2 Safety Masks absorbs offensive odours in applications involving thermally generated particles (particularly welding). It controls odours and fumes, but does not protect against gases or chemicals.

WHEN TO REPLACE YOUR SAFETY GLASSES

June 13, 2019

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.

HEIGHT SAFETY GEAR

January 31, 2017

david-martin-340x340

An ex-carpenter has told LINQ Height Safety Gear how inadequate safety procedures resulted in a fall from a roof that left him with severe spinal injuries and quadriplegia.

In 1991 David Crawford had the world at his feet. A budding professional surfer who regularly competed in Hawaii and a keen soccer player, he never imagined that a simple job on suburban Sydney home would change his life.

“It was 3pm on Wed 10th April 1991. A section of the roof that I was standing on gave way underneath me and I fell 4.8 metres and fractured my neck at C6 and C7,” he said, adding that he was not wearing a harness and his warnings to his boss about the structural integrity of the roof he was on had gone unheeded.

“I also suffered a stab wound to my forearm where the wood chisel went to the bone, while my claw hammer dug deep into my lower right back, damaging my kidney.”

David was rushed to Royal North Shore hospital for emergency surgery on his spine and other injuries.

“I woke in intensive care. I had no movement from the shoulders down and no sensation from the chest down. I was terrified.”

His first thoughts were how he was going to continue living. He was now totally reliant on nursing staff and family for everything, from feeding to bathing.

Speak and Listen:

David’s accident resulted from a design flaw in the scillion roof he was working on.

“The rafters were not structurally connected to the beam and while I had pointed that out to the architect and builder, they told me to build the roof as per the original design,” he said.

Resultantly, David pleads with workers to speak up about safety, and for management to listen.

“I spoke up but my concerns were not heard and it cost me my life, my legs, my hand

Safety Mindset:

Height safety equipment was virtually non-existent on domestic sites back in 1991, according to David, with his accident and subsequent insurance battle leading to stricter domestic fall protection standards.

Despite this, he said there is still a complete disregard for personal safety on many sites, particularly smaller ones, but also on some larger sites.

“Guys have this mindset that ‘it will never happen to me’.”

However statistics show otherwise. Every single day, some 21 Australians suffer serious injuries from a fall at work and require a week or more off – with six weeks off being the average. 21 people. Every, single, day.

“I constantly see guys standing on roofs without harnesses. I see plumbers erecting cleaning gutters. I see tradesmen hanging over the edges. They have no fall protection, no harnesses, nothing,” David said, adding that many tradespeople only have a harness in the ute to avoid a fine from Workcover.

“Well the harness is not going to help you unless you’re actually wearing it,” he exclaimed.

s,” he said.

 

BISLEY INSECT REPELLENT WORKWEAR

January 10, 2017

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

ASBESTOS AWARENESS

November 1, 2016

asbestosfibres

November is Asbestos Awareness Month and 21 – 25, 2016 is Asbestos Awareness Week. The month and associated events are focused on encouraging Australians to protect themselves and their staff or families from exposure to dangerous asbestos fibres.

Asbestos kills over 100 people every year in Australia and the dangers are ever-present as materials degrade and old properties are demolished or renovated, often releasing asbestos fibres which are known to cause the deadly cancer, mesothelioma.

Asbestos was commonly used in construction until 1987 and was not restricted to fibro housing. It can be found in one of three Australian homes, anywhere from cement floors, walls, ceilings, fences, sheds, as building insulation, around pipes and buried in the ground by previous builders.

According to CEO of the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency, Peter Tighe, 97 per cent of asbestos in Australia is non-friable – meaning that it is bonded with an agent such as cement and so may not be immediately dangerous.

However some materials are up to 50 years’ old and are degrading. “The bonding agent breaks down and once that happens you can have a situation where the asbestos fibres become friable if they haven’t been treated and managed properly,” Tighe said.

Friable asbestos is any material containing asbestos that is in the form of a powder or can be crumbled by hand pressure. “Air blowing past friable asbestos will disrupt the fibres,” Tighe added.

He stated that any demolition or other disturbance of either friable or non-friable asbestos was fraught with danger. “If you drill or cut bonded asbestos that’s when it releases fibres into the air,” he said, adding that sledgehammers and hammers are particularly dangerous.

The removal of more than 10 square metres of non-friable asbestos (or spending more than one hour in any seven day period) requires a trained specialist with a Class B asbestos removal licence while the removal of any amount of friable asbestos requires a Class A licence.

If you do decide to remove 10 square metres or less of non-friable asbestos, you absolutely must take every precaution possible urges Product Development Manager of ProChoice Safety Gear, Brad Rodgers.

“The big one is respiratory,” he said, saying ProChoice’s Half Mask Respirator with P2 Filters would offer the required protection in most cases of non-friable asbestos handling, as would disposable P1 or P2 rated masks.

“The fit of the respirator is critical to ensure you are protected and it should have an airtight fit. Read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to check the fit of the respirator,” Rodgers added.

“Cover as much of the body as possible, specifically the head: eyes, ears, nose. Use a disposable coverall with Type 5 particle protection and a chemical style of glove that has a full seal against particle transfer.” “All your clothing has to be disposed of after use,” Rodgers added.

Asbestos waste can only be disposed of using an Asbestos Control Plan that eliminates the release of airborne asbestos fibres. Asbestos material must be kept wet to reduce fibre release and stored in double-layered 0.2mm polythene sheeting or bags labelled “CAUTION ASBESTOS” and disposed of at designated locations.

Mesothelioma:

If you do ingest asbestos fibres they can remain there, seeding mesothelioma, a cancer that develops in the lungs between 20 and 50 years later.

“If you are diagnosed with mesothelioma it is a death sentence. Once a tumour starts they are very very aggressive,” Tighe said.

If you are diagnosed, you can expect to have around 10-12 months to live.

As the Asbestos Awareness Month website says, people need to stop playing Renovation Roulette, it is not worth the risk.

The site offers a 20 point asbestos safety check.
www.asbestosawareness.com.au
www.asbestossafety.gov.au

ADVANCE ANTI-SLIP SURFACES

July 27, 2016

The Ideal solution for preventing costly accidents in slippery areas.

STAIR PRODUCTS – STAIR CAPPINGS AND NOSING.

Advance Anti-Slip Stair Capping and Nosing with the Bull Nose turn down are a metal backed product
with a high solids heavy duty Anti-slip surface designed for application in slippery or hazardous areas to provide firm
footing, even after heavy spillage or soilage.

Advance Anti-slip Stair Cappings and Nosing with the Bull Nose turn down provide more surface area contact on the ledging edge, for a firmer
footing and causes less wear to the Stair Capping and Nosing.

Stair Capping and Nosings can be produced to suit any type of stair area that can be slippery, harzardous and dangerous.

large-stairnosings

SURFACE PRODUCTS – SAFEPLATES

Advance Anti-Slip Safeplates are a flat metal backed product with a high solids heavy duty Antislip surface designed for application in slippery
or harzardous areas to provide firm footing, even after heavy spillage and soilage.

safeplates

POLARISED LENSES

July 25, 2016

Polarised safety sunglasses greatly reduce glare allowing for you to spot workplace hazards easier.

How Polarised Lenses Work
Light Travels and vibrates in all directions. Polarised light vibrates in a horizontal direction, parallel to the surface it is refracting off, eg. water, road, car bonnet.

Polarised safety sunglasses utilise the physics of light by setting polarising filters in a vertical direction, meaning only light vibrating vertically can pass through the filter.
The reflected polarised light is blocked out, which significantly reduces glare and improves visibility on site which allows you to spot workplace hazards before an incident occurs.

Paramount Safety Products studio shoot 12.02.15
Paramount Safety Products
studio shoot
12.02.15

•Matt Black frame
•Polarised Flash Silver Lens
•Medium impact
•Anti- scratch, anti-fog coating
•lightweight polycarbonate frame with gloss finish
•99.9% UV protection for outdoor wear
•Qty/Box – Individually Sold
•Qty/Carton – 144

Contact The Work Warehouse for all sales enquiries – 02 9638 0086.