Why Investing in High-Quality Safety Boots is Essential for Your Workplace

We all know that safety boots can protect the wearer against hazards and reduce injuries. But for both the wearer and their company, the difference between a pair of safety boots and a high-quality pair of safety boots is huge.

In this article, we will explore how investing in a pair of high-quality safety boots can:

Improve wearer wellbeing and productivity
Save expense
Give peace of mind through compliance and testing
Reduce the risk of accidents

THE IMPACT OF HIGH-QUALITY BOOTS ON EMPLOYEE WELLBEING

Investing in high-quality safety boots not only enhances workplace safety but also has a positive impact on employee morale and productivity. Here's how high-performing safety boots contribute to these factors:

IMPROVED EMPLOYEE MORALE

When employees feel their safety and well-being is valued by being provided with the best safety footwear solution, it boosts moral, job satisfaction and company loyalty. This is a huge benefit to the company too, as it fosters a positive perception of the organisation among both employees and external stakeholders, which enhances the company's reputation.

ENHANCED CONFIDENCE AND FOCUS

Safety boots instil a sense of confidence in employees, knowing that they are fully protected from workplace hazards. This confidence, coupled with the comfort that a well-designed and well-made boot offers, translates into increased focus and productivity.

REDUCED ABSENTEEISM

High-quality safety boots are made to provide the best level of comfort and protection. This leads to fewer sick days through reduced accidents and poor foot health, resulting in increased productivity, which in turn means the employers benefit both their workforce and the organisation’s productivity and profitability as a whole.

For more information on how the right safety footwear solution can improve wellbeing at work, read this eye-opening blog.

COST IN USE

It's a safe assumption that a high-quality safety boot tends to come at a higher price - but arguably, it should.

While it’s natural for a company to try to procure work boots that carry an attractive-looking price tag - particularly when budgets are stretched - paying more for a better-performing boot means the product will not only protect, it will give long-lasting protection.

But the benefits aren’t just about the boot's protective qualities. A higher-priced boot actually ends up saving money for a company in the long run. How? Find out how a company can maximise their budgets and benefit from a whole range of other types of value by investing in top-quality boots in this blog.

PRICE AND PERFORMANCE

At V12, we see a consistent link between cost and performance within testing. And the data speaks for itself.

We took a high-spec boot and tested it against similar competitor styles. The graphics below show while this style had a higher price tag than its competitors, its performance in the testing was far and away better than its counterparts.

Look at this image showing the slightly higher price of the V12 boot compared to its competitors.

Invincible Price Graphic-1

Now look at the image below. See how all but one of the competitor boots fail to reach the horizontal line, showing the pass mark for the safety test. And now look at the V12 boot...

Invincible testing graphic-1

Proof that when it comes to protecting the wearer, there is a direct correlation between higher price and higher performance.

COMPLIANCE AND TESTING

High-quality boots give employer and employee peace of mind that the PPE used is equal to the task of hazard protection.

A boot can only pass the required rigorous testing if the components and materials are of a high standard. Once these tests have been passed and the relevant certification given, the manufacturer then has the best possible means of knowing that the boot is able to give the protection that it claims to offer.

A high-quality safety boot is obviously much more likely to pass its safety tests and be released onto the market without the need for further testing, and come with the accreditation necessary to give peace of mind to all involved.

The BSiF recently launched their 'Check, Select, Protect' programme - an initiative urging buyers and end-users of safety products to follow a clear process to ensure the PPE they procure is fit for purpose and can be fully relied on to protect. They carried out recent tests on 127 non-member safety products including compliance checks and testing to establish whether they performed as advertised - and the results were staggering. Only 18 (15%) of these products were found to be fully compliant.

This highlights the importance of fully-compliant, high-quality footwear to keep people safe at work.

Read the full article here - and prepare for a shock.

Want to find out more about how we test our footwear at V12? Watch below.

KEEPING PEOPLE SAFE

Safety boots are an essential way to give those working in safety-critical roles the protection they need. And this idea is brought sharply into focus when you read these shocking HSE statistics below:

441,000 workers sustained a non-fatal injury according to the Labour Force Survey in 2020/21
102,000 of those injuries resulted in a period of absence which was over 7 days
In 2021/22, 29 fatal injuries were falls from a height - accounting for 24% of all worker deaths over the year
142 workers were killed at work in Great Britain in 2020/21 compared to 111 in 2019/20. This is an increase of 28%.

Now consider how these accidents could have been reduced or even prevented by higher-quality footwear. Were many of these injuries due to failing toecaps, lack of ladder grips, insufficient sole tread or protective components that had worn away or simply weren’t there?

TIPS FOR MAINTAINING AND CARING FOR SAFETY BOOTS

Once you’ve got a pair of top-performing boots, you’ll want to take the right steps to take advantage of their superior durability by making them last even longer. We’ve made a blog to ensure that you can maximise the safety and comfort they offer with a series of simple but effective care and maintenance tips. Read it here.