These boots are made for working

Thousands of electrical contractors could be facing a substantial increase in the cost of safety boots. Prices will rise if the EU decides to impose an import duty on cut-price safety footwear with leather uppers manufactured in China. The European Footwear Federation is calling for an import duty of around 50%.

EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson has initiated an investigation into whether the high level of Chinese imports is having a detrimental effect on footwear manufacturers from the 25 member states. The investigation will continue until the end of July 2006, when the EU Trade Commission will announce its findings.

The British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) however has expressed grave concerns over the imposition of an import duty. It fears an increase in work-related foot injuries as workers, reluctant to pay higher prices for safety boots, resort to wearing inappropriate footwear that offers inadequate protection.

"Any EU import duty on safety footwear would go against the interests of occupational safety in the UK," said Geoff Hooke, secretary general of the BSIF. Latest figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that 19 544 foot injuries were reported in the UK for 2004-05, two of which proved fatal. Wearing modern safety footwear with steel toecaps, slip-resistant soles and steel mid-soles could have prevented many of these accidents.

Richard Chilcott, managing director of workwear manufacturer Dickies, stressed: "Considering the health and safety repercussions for workers, the cost to industry caused by an increase in site injuries and the resulting cost to the health service, any import tariff on Chinese manufactured safety footwear is extremely ill-advised."

The role of safety footwear

Safety footwear has become an essential part of the personal protective equipment (PPE) used by electrical contractors and engineers. Under current health and safety legislation it is a legal requirement for contractors to wear protective footwear if working conditions present hazards likely to cause foot injuries.

Modern safety footwear is constructed from durable materials and comes in a wide range of styles including the traditional ankle boot, safety shoes, Rigger and Dealer boots, trainers and hiker boots. Protection is provided by regulation steel toecaps conforming to EN 345. This means they will withstand the impact of 20 kg in weight falling on to the toes from a height of 10·2 m, and give compression protection corresponding to around 1·5 tonnes resting on the toe area.

Another development has seen flexible steel mid-soles incorporated into safety footwear design. These offer additional protection from the risk of puncture injuries from sharp objects underfoot.

According to the latest available HSE statistics, slips and trips account for 37% of all reported major injuries at work. On top of the suffering endured by those injured there is a financial cost to industry to be accounted for - estimated at a staggering £512 million per year. The additional cost to the health service is an estimated £133 million per year.

Workwear manufacturers are playing their part in trying to bring these figures down. To keep electrical contractors firmly on their feet safety footwear is equipped with toughened polyurethane or rubber soles that are oil and heat resistant to 300°C and have a slip-resistant tread.

Wearing unsuitable footwear at work will not only increase the risk of injury from slips, trips, crushing and punctures, but can result in the more insidious problem of fungal foot infections caused by hot damp conditions. To combat such infections modern microfibres like Cambrelle are being used as a lining in safety boots and shoes.

Cambrelle is a carefully engineered structure made up of microscopic air spaces that allow air to circulate. Even more crucially the material constantly draws moisture away from the foot before dispersing it back into the environment through evaporation.

Foot fears

The Footwear Association of Importers and Retail Chains (FAIR) also opposes any possible EU measures, believing they would prove counterproductive for the European footwear industry. FAIR argues that the imposition of an import duty will result in less choice and higher prices for the consumer, intensify the recession in the European retail trade and fail to bring any manufacturing to the EU.

In common with many manufacturing industries, UK workwear suppliers have moved production of safety footwear to the Far East due to cheaper production costs. This has enabled manufacturers to offer quality products at affordable prices. But genuine concerns are being expressed that higher prices caused by an import duty on footwear manufactured in China could result in a sharp increase in work-related foot injuries.