Why Work Boots

[arnettda]

I hear people say proper attire for a construction worker are work boots and no shorts. And has been the policy my complete career. Can I ask why? I now do mainly residential electrical work with a few commercial customers. My one commercial customer has a no shorts policy but that is more of a health things as you also have to wear LAB coats and hair nets when there.

Work Boots, I do not see requiring steel toe boots in my line of work, and with todays newer shoe/ boot construction I feel you can get good quality ankle support and non slip features from a non traditional style shoe/boot. Other than a work boot.

Shorts- Summer is Hot and short and the more you can make it comfortable the better. I can see requiring pants when doing certain things trenching, attic and crawl space work but some things I do not see why pants would be required.

I am hiring a apprentice in the spring and would like to have a set policy when they start. Please help me understand the big picture.
Thanks

 

[LarryFine]

If you're the boss, use your own best judgement.

Clean and neat is more important than specific clothing.

Indoor and outdoor work have different requirements.

 

[Besoeker3]

We were required to wear boots for safety requirements.

 

[Joe.B]

Some business owners prefer a "professional" image and don't feel that shorts and sneakers fit that look.

 

[ActionDave]

I agree. I think anywhere a t-shirt is common attire shorts should be allowed.

I've switched from steel toe to composite toe. I'm too old to be walking all day with an extra three pounds of weight on my feet. I would not use the safety toe if they were not part of the company policy.

These rules exist because they are low hanging fruit to make it sound like you have a proper safety policy, not because they actually make a difference in anybody's life. I'm am talking about everyday work, not special circumstances like being in a mine or some kind of steel foundry with chaos and near death around every corner.

 

[roger]

Small contractors can set their own rules to a point, but their Insurance carriers may have their own rules.

We required steel toe (or equivalent) boots, gloves, eye protection when performing certain tasks, high visibility shirts or vests, hearing protection, etc....

Many of our customers had their own rules such as no writing on clothing except for company names or trade related logos, no jewelry when on the property, hard hats no matter where you were on the premises, eye protection no matter where you were on the premises, etc....

There was also OSHA rules.

 

[petersonra]

but some things I do not see why pants would be required.

personally, I am in favor of your employees wearing some kind of pants when on the job.

If you are working in someone else's factory, they likely have safety rules contractors have to comply with.

For residential work, I don't see why you would require any special clothing or safety gear, although I do think there are times when a bump cap is appropriate. And safety glasses are likely a good idea all the time.

I don't care much what the workers wear as long as they work, but some people are real funny about it.

Best bet is to specify work clothing for your employees that has your logo on it. I think shorts are OK when it is warm, and short sleeve shirts are OK as well as long as there are no special hazards or special customer requirements.

You should buy whatever clothing you are making your employees wear though. JMNSHO.

1 pair composite safety shoes
1 bump cap (they make these in ball cap style these days)
5 pairs long sleeve trousers
5 pairs shorts
5 long sleeve shirts
5 short sleeve shirts

Laundry is on him/her as are normal repairs.

Amazon.com

 

[drcampbell]

Work boots have a thicker sole, which makes it less likely that a sharp piece of debris will penetrate all the way into your foot.

 

[gadfly56]

I would never wear shorts in anything resembling a construction site. There are too many sharp edges lurking in the shadows waiting to open a nice cut on a thigh or calf for me to even think about it.

 

[Hv&Lv]

We require safety boots. Composite toe because safety says the steel toe is conductive.
as stated by Actiondave, its low hanging fruit. The more rules you have the better your safety program looks to insurance companies and outsiders.

 

[kec]

Penny loafers and sandals are not allowed in my shop. In most residential work I agree steel toes are overkill but a good high top shoe
gives good support, especially when standing on a ladder.

 

[Elect117]

I only take jobs at nudist colonies to avoid this whole issue.

Personally, I find wearing a branded polo shirt for the company I work for and having stickers for the company on the truck helps a ton. Most of the guys in construction wear FR long sleeve shirts with the company logo.

 

[__dan]

Sweat wicking clothing, if you're not wearing it you're doing it wrong.

The evaporative cooling effect runs cooler than no shirt at all. That's for long sleeves in the summer sun. Anything with a cotton content, cotton traps perspiration against the skin and becomes very uncomfortable most days of the year, both heat and chills.

The only thing I know of that works and very well is the 7 oz Tecasafe. It's a lifesaver because of the excellent sweat wicking. It also lasts forever, goes straight from the washer to a hanger, and dries itself in 20 minutes. Washes with no ironing, does not shrink fad or pill.

It is however very hard to find even if you know what you're looking for. Carhartt used to make shirts in it but now their FR is 80 / 20 cotton nylon, which is horrible to work and sweat in.

When you look for Tecasafe, you have to look at the fabric, thread blend, then match that.

 

[Fred B]

We require safety boots. Composite toe because safety says the steel toe is conductive.
as stated by Actiondave, its low hanging fruit. The more rules you have the better your safety program looks to insurance companies and outsiders.

Penny loafers and sandals are not allowed in my shop. In most residential work I agree steel toes are overkill but a good high top shoe
gives good support, especially when standing on a ladder.

I have and allow my guys different shoes winter and summer. Must be EH rated and steel or composite toe and steel or composite shank. Steel or composite shank will keep most nail penetration from going into your foot even on a resi job site.
Summer I will use one that is very similar to a sneaker with all the rating of the boot above.

 

[LarryFine]

I only take jobs at nudist colonies to avoid this whole issue.

I won't ask how you carry a fishtape.

 

[David Castor]

For energized work, NFPA 70E required leather footwear or arc-rated footwear depending on the incident energy level. Also required are long-sleeved shirts and long pants. Depending on the energy level, the clothing probably needs to be arc-rated. For industrial facilities, most electricians are required to wear arc-rated shirt and pants.

For residential construction work, I think you would need to meet the general OSHA requirements.

While working in Hawaii, I saw a utility engineer show up a substation in shorts, aloha shirt and flip-flops. He then proceeded to take a 2x4 to the mechanism of a 69 kV breaker to encourage it to close. The rest of us kept a respectable distance. No problem.

 

[hillbilly1]

The previous company I worked for required boots, but did not require steel toe or composite. They were a very large company, so I don’t think steel toes or composite was an OSHA requirement for most jobs. Shorts were definitely not allowed, and they required long sleeve cotton or fr shirts.

 

[letgomywago]

I wear boots in winter and running shoes in the summer. I wear shorts when over 85 degrees and only had a few jobsites that required work pants. If you're doing stuff with steel stud it makes sense but when roughing in track houses cargo shorts are the way to go.

When it was over 100 doing new houses only half the guys even had shirts on no matter what trade. That said you'd have to be stupid to not have pants and long sleeves doing sheet metal work.

 

[LarryFine]

That said you'd have to be stupid to not have pants and long sleeves doing sheet metal work.

And never cook bacon while naked.

 

[gadfly56]

And never cook bacon while naked.

I hadn't planned on it, but, uhhhh, thanks for the advice?