Improved safety footwear breathability through full footwear construction is appreciable by workers in hot climates

Aim: Heat stress is a hazard in many workplaces and those that are exposed to temperatures above 30°C and or high humidity need to have a heat stress management plan. Safety footwear is often required to reduce the risks of traumatic injuries. However, footwear design can have a significant impact on physiological strain and can increase risks of heat stress due to the weight, and rigidity of the footwear increasing muscular work and heat generation as a biproduct. Safety footwear is often marketed to have breathable components. However, minimal evidence is available to understand if this footwear is more breathable and if workers can detect breathability differences while working in hot climates. This study investigated how a style of safety footwear designed to be lighter, more flexible, biomechanically harmonised with gait and more breathable compares to existing safety footwear in laboratory tests and if workers can perceive a difference in hot climates. Methods: Breathability of a style (uvex 3 x-flow zip, UVEX Arbeitsschutz GmbH, Furth Germany) designed to have improved breathability through material selection, layer minimisation and manufacturing processes and a comparable market leading 150mm/6’ zip side safety footwear style (control) were analysed in a climate chamber (KMF 240, Binder GmbH) with a sweating foot mannequin (SWEATOR-FOOT, CLIMATE GmbH). Heat index combining both relative humidity and temperature and absolute humidity were assessed at 23°C and 50% relative humidity. Twenty-seven (27) male and five (5) female workers in Queensland, Australia completed a digital 10-point analogue scale questionnaire on footwear comfort and breathability on their existing safety footwear and then the uvex x-flow footwear after a 4-week wear trial. End points were labelled as “most breathable imaginable” and “not breathable at all”. Statistical significance was assessed with a paired sample T-Test.