Safety shoe: Right and obligation
- April 25th
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“An employer can dismiss for serious misconduct for refusing to wear safety shoes. »
Foot injuries represent around 7% of work accidents in France. The injuries are divided into 2 categories: the first includes perforations, crushes and lacerations, the second includes injuries due to slips, false movements, falls and stress of the poorly fitted foot resulting in sprains, tendonitis, fractures ... When we talk about foot protection we include safety shoes, but also moccasins, boots, clogs and on shoes. To promote their wearing, manufacturers like Nord'Ways are setting up design offices in order to offer ever more aesthetic, comfortable and lightweight shoes, while respecting ergonomic, lifespan and safety requirements.
Can we refuse to wear them?
The labor code says: “It is up to each worker to take care, according to his training and according to his possibilities, of his health and safety as well as that of other people affected by his acts or omissions at work. The employer's instructions specify, in particular when the nature of the risks justifies it, the conditions of use of work equipment, means of protection, dangerous substances and preparations. They are adapted to the nature of the tasks to be accomplished. In short, an employer can dismiss for serious misconduct for refusing to wear safety shoes.
Who should pay for safety shoes?
As soon as the work environment involves a risk for the employee, the employer has the obligation to provide a means of protection against the risk incurred so that the latter can carry out the work entrusted to him in complete safety!
The employer's obligations:
- Safety shoes must be provided free of charge
- They must be appropriate to the risks to be prevented and to the work carried out
- Their use should be based on their design. For example, a shoe without anti-perforation soles cannot be used on a hazardous site.
- They must be maintained and changed after deterioration.
- Their use must be personal, unless the equipment can be used by several people while respecting the rules of hygiene.
- They must be chosen in consultation with the wearer of the shoes.
To be sure that the shoes chosen for your operators cover the risks involved, take a look at the page standards>