Construction workers deal with some of the toughest conditions around – high temperatures on outdoor or underground sites, heavy PPE and high-intensity tasks.
Employers know they need to mitigate the risks of overheating that can lead to fatigue and heat-related illness, and impact productivity. Yet there’s a factor that often gets overlooked in heat management – safety boots.
High-quality traditional safety footwear can be very effective at protecting workers’ feet from things like slips, trips, falls, rough surfaces, hot contact, crush injuries and electrocution. But if a worker’s safety boots cause them to use extra energy to walk and excessive muscular work, their body temperature can increase. This is because muscles generate heat when they contract.
Dr Caleb Wegener PhD, podiatrist and Director of Product Management at uvex safety, says the choice of work boots can help improve airflow and reduce perceived heat discomfort.
“Of all types of PPE, safety footwear can have the greatest impact on physiological strain of the worker. This is due to the way its weight and rigidity reduces walking efficiency,” he says. “Each additional 100g of footwear weight increases oxygen consumption by 1%, which is directly related to muscle activity. This can lead to the wearer becoming hotter and more fatigued. Boots with a stiff sole and shaft reduce ankle power, shifting it instead to the knee and hip. This results in a change of walking style, and higher oxygen use and therefore heat generation.”
The use of non-breathable materials in high-sweat zones can also make boots less comfortable. Boots that lack appropriate cushioning can reduce the level of energy being returned to the worker during push off, making walking harder and less efficient, which results in the muscles generating more heat and fatigue.
Workers need safety footwear that is lightweight, flexible and breathable to keep them comfortable and productive, even in harsh conditions. This is where the uvex x-flow range comes in.
Dr Wegener designed the range to maximise construction worker comfort and performance in high-temperature environments. The uvex x-flow has been built around the uvex bionomx technology, so the boot harmonises with the body’s natural movement patterns.
The uvex bionomx sole is designed for optimal swing phase ground clearance, and the heel geometry helps lower the torque at the ankle, reducing fatigue of the muscles that lift the toe. Some work boots can weigh as much as 950g each. At 740g, the uvex x-flow is lightweight. This helps reduce muscular contraction, lower oxygen consumption, as well as perceived heat and fatigue levels.
The boots feature:
While the uvex x-flow has been designed to be comfortable and cool, safety is still paramount. The boots offer high ground traction, heat-resistant outsoles, resistance to electrical current and are made using water-resistant materials.
The uvex x-flow range has been engineered for real-world conditions on construction sites, to help reduce the effects of heat on workers.
As Australia’s leading supplier of industrial solutions, Blackwoods has everything you need to keep your operations running smoothly. Talk to your Blackwoods representative about the benefits of the uvex x-flow range of boots.