Modern materials and smart manufacturing techniques have at last been applied to steel toe overshoes, also known as "safety toes". Awareness is growing for these innovative articles of personal protective equipment and more uses are being found for them.
Rubber overshoes have their origins in the 19th century. Considered only as shoe protectors then, galoshes were items of dress. Thankfully however, in the 1900s Charles Goodyear first applied modern technology to the venerable galosh. It was Goodyear who invented vulcanized rubber and used it to make a significant improvement to lowly "gumshoes" and "dickersons". With his invention galoshes became waterproof and the rubber component offered some important safety features. Rubber, with its inherent tactile qualities, has long been considered the preferred material for safety products where slip resistance and grip are important.
Recently, a Canadian company has taken the rubber galosh to the next level with a "patent pending" design that not only gives industry standard toe protection, it offers some additional safety features.
It should come as no surprise that these safety toes are of interest to auto repair shops. The link with Goodyear is very telling since car tires and at least two brands of slip on toe protectors are made from the same vulcanized rubber. The unique material not only provides excellent grip, it is acid and oil resistant. For the same reasons as it would be hard to imagine a car tire not made of vulcanized rubber, it is easy to understand why so much trust is placed in it.
Some of the other features that make rubber steel toe galoshes worth considering for auto shops include;
Now costing much less than a safety boot, and certainly a lot less ugly than older models, they have become very affordable.
The rubber material will stretch to tightly cover more than one size of outer shoe.
Safety toes can be passed from user to user - perfect for visitors and customers.
The steel toe caps protect up to the minimum required for occasional toe protection.
Rear pull-on tabs and lie-flat design make them easy to slip on and pull off.
Unlike thinner materials vulcanized rubber can withstand rough treatment.
For auto shops where the work environment carries a risk of accidental toe damage for employees or visiting customers, safety toes are convenient, reusable and effective. For many people today, comfortable shoes are highly desirable and safety toe overshoes can turn most sizes and shapes, heels or no heels, into pieces of personal protective equipment.
In these safety conscious days, safety toes have not only re-invented themselves they have become, for business owners and safety officers, valuable tools in the fight to keep accidents at bay. And for those who spend long periods standing, either at work or in the home, foot safety and comfort are of supreme importance. Poorly fitting shoes is a leading cause of accidents and considered likely precursors to a slip.
So, spread the word. Where the "rubber meets the road", slips and falls are dangerous. Safety toe overshoes are good for you.
Protect your piggies!