At Blundstone, we are committed to supporting a safe and healthy working environment from the ground up. We understand that quality safety boots are imperative in helping to reduce workplace injuries.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 497,300 workers experienced an injury in 2021-2022 with the most common causes of work-related injuries being:
- Lifting, pushing, pulling or bending - 24%
- Slip, trip, stumble or fall (on the same level) - 17%
Having a firm and secure grip on the floor is critical with all of these movements, from lifting items to simply walking on the work site. Safety footwear is designed to provide the necessary traction, stability, and protection against hazards like slippery surfaces, sharp objects, and uneven terrain.
Just ask Matt, who was injured at work after stepping down from a duct.
Just ask Matt, who was injured at work after stepping down from a duct.
Matt’s Story
“I was swapping out a heavy electric motor on a multi-story roof, which meant I had to carry the motor under one arm and my tool bag over my other shoulder,” explains Matt.
“To get to the equipment that needed the motor, there was a metal duct about 900mm high. I managed to get up onto the duct on one side using a smaller duct to step up on, but as I stepped down again, my tool bag swung across my body as my boot hit the ground.”
“The impact instantly rotated my knee 90 degrees, permanently destroying the joint. This resulted in my complex surgery, bone removal, and I ended up needing a total knee replacement.”
“This process happened over a decade ago – but it’s still affecting my day-to-day life.”
Matt’s story is alarmingly common, with 20,000 technicians and tradies suffering injuries and making claims in a 12-month period, according to Safe Work Australia.
The impact on workers is far-reaching: there are the acute impacts of course, like pain, lost earnings, complex compensation requirements and negative effects on the worker’s personal life and mental health.
The knock-on effect on employers is less visible, but workplace injuries have an insidious effect on productivity through lost revenue and more difficult workplace resourcing. Workers taking the necessary time off work to recover take on average 29 days off for broken bones or fractures, 22 days for joint or muscle conditions, and 44 days off for stress and mental health conditions.
Add the lost output potential of the employee, the additional administration and bureaucracy of handling compensation claims, and the additional workload to handle in their absence, and the financial impact begins to mount up.
But despite these relatively short-term financial costs, it’s the ongoing cost to the employee’s quality of life that is most distressing.
“I’ve often wondered if things would have been different if I’d just moved in a slightly different way,” adds Matt.
“I might have still hurt my knee but maybe it would have been less severe.”
“There was no other way to get down off the duct – I stepped down like anyone else would. And I was wearing safety boots of course, but I don’t know how great they were. I just bought what was comfortable. These days there’s loads more choice and you can get really good quality work boots that are specifically designed for the type of work you’re doing,” says Matt.
“It’s not a ‘one size fits all’ design anymore and you can really dial in your safety boots to match the exact job and environment you work in.”
“To get to the equipment that needed the motor, there was a metal duct about 900mm high. I managed to get up onto the duct on one side using a smaller duct to step up on, but as I stepped down again, my tool bag swung across my body as my boot hit the ground.”
“The impact instantly rotated my knee 90 degrees, permanently destroying the joint. This resulted in my complex surgery, bone removal, and I ended up needing a total knee replacement.”
“This process happened over a decade ago – but it’s still affecting my day-to-day life.”
Matt’s story is alarmingly common, with 20,000 technicians and tradies suffering injuries and making claims in a 12-month period, according to Safe Work Australia.
The impact on workers is far-reaching: there are the acute impacts of course, like pain, lost earnings, complex compensation requirements and negative effects on the worker’s personal life and mental health.
The knock-on effect on employers is less visible, but workplace injuries have an insidious effect on productivity through lost revenue and more difficult workplace resourcing. Workers taking the necessary time off work to recover take on average 29 days off for broken bones or fractures, 22 days for joint or muscle conditions, and 44 days off for stress and mental health conditions.
Add the lost output potential of the employee, the additional administration and bureaucracy of handling compensation claims, and the additional workload to handle in their absence, and the financial impact begins to mount up.
But despite these relatively short-term financial costs, it’s the ongoing cost to the employee’s quality of life that is most distressing.
“I’ve often wondered if things would have been different if I’d just moved in a slightly different way,” adds Matt.
“I might have still hurt my knee but maybe it would have been less severe.”
“There was no other way to get down off the duct – I stepped down like anyone else would. And I was wearing safety boots of course, but I don’t know how great they were. I just bought what was comfortable. These days there’s loads more choice and you can get really good quality work boots that are specifically designed for the type of work you’re doing,” says Matt.
“It’s not a ‘one size fits all’ design anymore and you can really dial in your safety boots to match the exact job and environment you work in.”
Does Quality Matter?
Most of us know about the hierarchy of hazard controls. We try to engineer out the hazards or apply other types of solutions before resorting to personal protective equipment. However, as a last line of defence against injury – the quality of your PPE is worth paying attention to.
Whilst wearing and using PPE is now widely accepted and practised throughout the industrial trades, the data shows that injuries and fatalities are still happening. Hazardous work environments are still part of everyday life for many construction, mining, industrial and manufacturing workers, so protective equipment needs to be precisely matched to these different types of challenging environments.
For WHS professionals and procurement managers who want to lead by example and instil a strong safety culture, selecting the best quality PPE is the way to go. And for workers and tradies – you know how catastrophic a simple injury can be when you consider lost earnings and the knock-on effect on your family.
Whilst wearing and using PPE is now widely accepted and practised throughout the industrial trades, the data shows that injuries and fatalities are still happening. Hazardous work environments are still part of everyday life for many construction, mining, industrial and manufacturing workers, so protective equipment needs to be precisely matched to these different types of challenging environments.
For WHS professionals and procurement managers who want to lead by example and instil a strong safety culture, selecting the best quality PPE is the way to go. And for workers and tradies – you know how catastrophic a simple injury can be when you consider lost earnings and the knock-on effect on your family.
Fit for Purpose Safety Footwear: The Key to Reducing Workplace Injuries
To keep yourself and your team safe, it’s vital to choose safety footwear that is purpose-designed for the task.
For example, for workers in higher-heat environments such as mining, asphalting, or working on steel plates, the Blundstone Rotoflex #9060 may be a smart choice – its GripTek®XHD Sole is heat resistant up to 300℃ as well as being oil, slip and electrical hazard resistant.
A unisex boot with a classic elastic-sided design like the Blundstone #787 offers slip resistance but with a 140℃ heat resistant sole, is more suited to general site work, as well as being perfectly at home in the boardroom for workers who need to juggle customer-facing and on-site tasks.
And, for underground mining – surely one of Australia’s most demanding work environments – the Blundstone Extreme Series #980 is the premium choice. Developed in collaboration with miners, this high-leg waterproof leather boot has features purposefully designed for the mining industry. With a non-metallic penetration-resistant insole, the rubber outsole offers heat and slip resistance in the varied environments and surfaces found in mines.
For example, for workers in higher-heat environments such as mining, asphalting, or working on steel plates, the Blundstone Rotoflex #9060 may be a smart choice – its GripTek®XHD Sole is heat resistant up to 300℃ as well as being oil, slip and electrical hazard resistant.
A unisex boot with a classic elastic-sided design like the Blundstone #787 offers slip resistance but with a 140℃ heat resistant sole, is more suited to general site work, as well as being perfectly at home in the boardroom for workers who need to juggle customer-facing and on-site tasks.
And, for underground mining – surely one of Australia’s most demanding work environments – the Blundstone Extreme Series #980 is the premium choice. Developed in collaboration with miners, this high-leg waterproof leather boot has features purposefully designed for the mining industry. With a non-metallic penetration-resistant insole, the rubber outsole offers heat and slip resistance in the varied environments and surfaces found in mines.
Don’t Skimp on Safety – Choose Blundstone.
For over 150 years, Blundstone has been designing and manufacturing award-winning safety footwear. Our range includes dozens of styles built to keep workers safe and comfortable, no matter what job, environment or challenge the day holds.