Rank: Forum user 
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I currently "work" with several female office staff who regularly walk around the factory in high heels. All other personel working in the factory must wear foot protection, yet the female staff laugh (along with the manager, no support here) when i made the suggestion of having safety shoes in the office, to change into when then come onto the factory floor.
The factory works with granite and marble so the floor is wet, slippy and very rough(damaged), with no designated walk ways.
I dont have problem with heels in the office, just on factory floor.
thanks
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Go above the manager and show staff the HSE data re slips & trips
Involve HR as if you try to disipline a factory worker for not wearing PPE then you would lose as they can quote office staff
Talk to your insurers
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Seems entirely sensible; what does the risk assessment state? You could try looking for some examples or case studies to present to the manager which might help him/her understand the issue being that of safety rather than fashion. http://www.hse.gov.uk/sl.../experience.htm#footwear
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Without wanting to sound judgemental, is it a case that the women are more concerned with their looks/fashion? If so, it might be an idea to show them some examples/pics of resultant falls. They might think twice if they see a visual representation of how their leg might look after a fall? I'm not a massive fan of using shock tactics but sometimes it works with certain individuals.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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ballymartin_N.I. wrote:............The factory works with granite and marble so the floor is wet, slippy and very rough(damaged), with no designated walk ways. ............. Perhaps that is something you also need to look at
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Rank: Forum user
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I had a similar situation - young office staff choosing to go barefoot in the office, then cutting through a workshop (I know, stupid). As we have a requirement for those working in the practical side of this to wear sturdy outdoor footwear I suggested that perhaps we should office based people on a lower pay scale on the basis we obviously placed less value on their H&S.
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Rank: Forum user
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the floor is wet because of the use of water with all machinery: keeping dust levels down, cooling saw blades, cooling tools ie CNC tools. no excuse for walk ways, but they will still be wet. floor damage is something I am trying to convince them to fix, but with money tight , redundancies looming!! hard fight to convince
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Rank: New forum user
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Make sure they, including the manager, are given a copy of the safety shoe policy/risk assessment, highlighting the most significant risks, slips in particular.
Advise their manager what he/she needs to do (disciplinary wise) if the female staff do not wear these safety shoes. Also advise managers of legal consequences to him/her.
Is there anyway you can minimise their need to go on the factory floor? Discuss that with them.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Why don't you issue high heeled shoes to all factory workers? That way all employees will be treated the same.
Is there a policy for factory footwear?
If not why not?
Once there is a policy on wearing safety footwear in the factory enforce it. End of problem.
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Rank: Forum user
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We have had a similar problem on site - particularly in the summer when office staff come to work in flip flops and our shop floor workers are still wearing steel toe capped boots.
We have enforced a strict mandatory ruling that all staff wear safety shoes when walking on the shop floor (even if they are just nipping through the workshop to another office).
The best incentive I found was showing some of the office girls some photos of feet that have been injured by FLTs, or mangled in some way.....they soon decide that the safety court shoe isn't that bad after all.
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Rank: Forum user 
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ChrisBurns wrote:Once there is a policy on wearing safety footwear in the factory enforce it. End of problem.
Except that Ballymartin has already told us Quote:the female staff laugh (along with the manager, no support here)
I had exactly this problem at my last place - I tore my hair out for a while (which explains a lot), one day I decided a different tactic. One of the ladies goaded me one morning "I'm not wearing safety shoes". "I don't care" "What??? Why not?" "Well, I'm wearing MY safety shoes so I'm not going to have an accident - and if I do, I'll be covered by insurance. If you want to take the risk that's your business" I then showed them some stats where EL claims had been turned down, or greatly reduced, because of employees not wearing safety equipment supplied. It still wasn't the total solution but it was a partial fix. Before anyone tells me - I know that when custom and practice has been to turn a blind eye, EL is unlikely to be affected - the important thing was my ladies didn't know that!
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Rank: Super forum user
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Are we trying to protect the employee from harm and if they don't care we shouldn't care either?
Are we trying to protect the employer from claims and if he doesn't care why should we?
Are we just trying to do our job to the best of our abilty and if we do that are we protected from claims against us?
Just get on with it - do your best and if people ignore good advice it's their problem not ours.
Friday is it?
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Rank: Forum user
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I only wear my high heels at the weekend, in the comfort of my house
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Rank: Forum user
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Sqn Ldr Smiff wrote:I only wear my high heels at the weekend, in the comfort of my house Surely sir, you favour a nicely styled sling back during this warmer weather? Though, I agree an elevated heel will give you a shapely calf.
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