Are Employers Required To Pay For Steel Toe Boots?

 Nothing around you comes free of cost.

Everything has its own price, be it a matchbox or an aeroplane.

Whenever you purchase any item from marketplace or online, you have to pay a certain amount of money for the same.

And it’s quite worthy because that purchased item is meant for your purpose.

But what if you require something related to your job profile!

Is your office or the employer liable to bear that particular expense of yours?

For e.g., if an industrial worker needs a PPE or Hard Hat or a pair of Steel Toe Boots, who is going to pay for his requirements?

The worker himself or the employer?

This issue is a big question for our readers out there.

Just imagine!

A daily waged worker who is unable to meet his basic needs properly, how is it possible for him to bear the expenses of his safety gears, necessary in his work-field!

Gradually, as you go over this article you will find all your answers.

So, keep scrolling!

Workers, never by any chance, are bound to bear the expenses of his steel toe boots or any other safety gears for his job purpose. It is the sole responsibility of the administrator or the employer to provide every safety measures to the employee, be it their work-boots or PPE or their safety glasses or head protection.

When workers are working in a factory on the basis of monthly salary, they are in action for the better production of the factory. And this increase in production level is ultimately beneficial for the employer and the owner.

Let’s make this more clear to you.

Rules Of OSHA

Just take a quick look at what OSHA has to say about this-

1.) The employer has to provide all the protective equipment like PPE, work-boots, safety eyewear, hard hats etc. to his employees and that too free of cost. The workers should also keep one thing in mind, not to wear these items when he is not at his jobsite.

2.) In case of metatarsal protection built-in work-boots, the employer cannot reimburse the worker for those shoes or boots.

3.) If an employee’s steel toe boots get lost or damaged, intentionally, then only he is bound to pay for the replacement. It is the user’s fault.

4.) In case, any employee prefers non-speciality safety toe footwear rather than the steel toed ones on their work-field, then the employer is not bound to pay for the worker’s boots, even if the workers wears them all-time.

5.) When an employer pays for the steel toe boots, he will definitely choose the right pair for his employees to avoid hazards at work-place.

6.) Moreover, he will be very much concerned about the usage and maintenance of the steel toe boots, resulting into higher protection of employees and fewer injuries and fatalities for them.

Sample Protective Footwear Policy

This policy got initiated from the 1st of July 2015.

It was the best way of that time to keep the workers informed about their safety footwear requirements along with the price.

The Policy Statement-

This policy was a clear message to the employers involving workers onsite.

• • • If an employee (worker) needs special safety boots, the employer has to provide it by bearing the expense of the footwear.
    • If an employee doesn’t need the boots, then the employer has to defray some of the cost of the safety boots.
    • The company makes every possible protective gear available for the employees, to protect them from hazards.

This policy outlines the requirements for obtaining Company Reimbursement for safety boots.

• • • It is the responsibility of the Management to first evaluate the various hazards and then provide the perfect safety gears to prevent those hazards.
    • The nature of the hazard is then noted down in the Company’s form in short, with the areas or job titles, after proper survey. The date of survey should also be mentioned in the form. Finally, the Supervisor signs the form.
    • The Management arranges an training camp for the employees to educate them about the proper and current usage, proper care and maintenance of safety equipment.
    • It is the Supervisor who maintains an acknowledgement record of the employees attending the training.

Requirements for obtaining safety footwear (steel toe boots)-

• • • The employee should work in such an area on regular basis, where the safety boots are a must.
    • If the job profile of any employee requires the usage of steel toe boots regularly, he can easily obtain the footwear.
    • The Company-designated supplier supplies such safety work-boots.
    • The loss-control coordinator will decide what type of safety boots is required by the employees for that particular area or operation, like the boots can either be the steel toed ones or the metal-free shoes or metatarsal guards.

Eligibility for reimbursement of safety boot’s expense-

Both full-time and part-time employees working around hazards are eligible for these safety boots.

Limitation of the policy-

• • • The amount of Company reimbursement for safety boots in a year will be decided by the loss-control coordinator.
    • The Company’s reimbursement will allow only 2 pairs of safety boots for each employee, every year. This reimbursement rule may vary as per case basis.
    • Replacement of safety boots is determined only after the return of the first pair to the loss-control coordinator.
    • The protective footwear must comply with the following standard of the ANSI Z41.

Responsibility of the employee-

• • • If there is any difference between the cost of the safety boots and reimbursement amount, then the employee shall bear it.
    • An employee should take proper care of his steel toe boots and maintain them.
    • During working hours it is the responsibility of the employee to wear his safety boots and avoid accidents.
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