Non-slip work shoes for women
This post was last updated on September 5th, 2023 at 06:54 am
In professional environments, there’s a need for Non-Slip work shoes for women. (the topics about Non-slip work shoes for men here)
Slips and falls are the second leading cause of accidental death around the world for people of all ages, especially for those who regularly work on slick surfaces. Choosing and buying the best non-slip shoes are one of the best ways to reduce your risk of a potentially life-threatening accident.
Does Nike have non slip work shoes?
is Vans a non slip work shoe?
How can you tell if shoes are non slip?
With no clear definition of what “non-slip” means, it can be a challenge to determine just how effective a shoe will be on slick surfaces. However, there are a couple of design features that help to increase traction while reducing slippage.
Outsole Design
Typically, shoes are described as being composed of three parts. The insole runs along the bottom of the shoe, helping to support the bottom of the foot. The midsole is the material along the inner portion of the shoe to provide cushioning. Usually, it’s made of foam that’s soft enough for comfort while rigid enough to offer ankle support.
The outsole, however, is what’s most important when it comes to traction and stability. Often, this is the portion of your shoe that makes contact with the ground. Its overall design can have a significant impact on how well non-slip footwear can achieve grip.
Your outsole should offer maximum contact with the floor, especially in areas such as the heels and balls of your feet. The greater the surface area pushing against the ground, the more grip your footwear will give you. Shoes such as heels are often a poor choice for non-slip footwear, as they minimize contact with the floor.
That being said, it’s best to look for shoes with rounded edges on the soles. While this might reduce surface contact somewhat, the design also tends to allow water, oil, and other liquids to escape from under the shoe more easily than flat edges.
Grooves on the outsole can also enhance the flow of liquids. Many non-slip shoes have grooves cut along the sole that not only helps to increase flexibility but also promote the flow of water out from under the base of the shoe.
Many shoes that advertise themselves as “non-slip” have an intricate or irregular sole design. This itself offers no guarantee that the shoe will have better traction than one with a traditional sole. Instead, you should look for design features such as:
- Chevron (also known as Ultragrip) Sipe Soles: These soles work to clean themselves as they walk, allowing them to keep maximum tread grip.
- Safety-Loc Soles: These offer the best traction on smooth, wet surfaces.
- Cleated or Lug Soles: These multi-purpose soles are often used in heavy-duty industrial applications, offering maximum grip without sacrificing durability.
- Aluminum Oxide Grit: Soles treated with this material offer the maximum amount of grip. Aluminum oxide grit is abrasive, easy to apply, and artificially offers the traction you need on smooth surfaces.
Non-slip Shoe Material
Non-slip shoes for women in certain environments can be made of a number of different materials. Slip-resistant footwear should be soft, pliable, and versatile. Shoes that are hard or stiff tend to have poor grip. As a rule of thumb, the softer the sole of a shoe, the better its non-slip capabilities.
When looking at non-slip shoe materials, you don’t have to worry too much about the insole or midsole. Instead, you should concentrate on the outsole construction. In addition to design, you should also pay close attention to construction.
Shoes are made of a variety of different materials that combine durability, stability, and grip. The latter two factors are the most important when considering non-slip shoe material. Footwear can be made of:
- Polyurethane
- Neoprene
- Nitrile
- PVC
- Rubber
In general, a soft sole will give you a better grip than one that’s hard or stiff. One of the best materials for non-slip outsoles is rubber, as it’s pliable and offers reliable traction in both warm and cool weather conditions. High-quality rubber is able to provide grip even when exposed to oil and water.
Tread Pattern
The tread pattern is another important feature when it comes to slip resistance. Tread helps to increase the surface area of the sole and catch against uneven surfaces to prevent slipping. Many non-slip work and athletic shoes offer multi-patterned tread to give you traction from every angle. You can walk, run, and pivot without fear of falling.
Certain tread patterns can also help to disperse water when moving on wet floors. It’s best to look for an open tread pattern, as an enclosed one will trap water underneath your feet and cause hydroplaning. The same goes for shoes with flat or smooth soles, such as many sandals and heels.
The tread pattern of slip-resistant shoes should be interlocked, channeling water away from under the foot. It’s best to avoid patterns that feature shapes with flat edges such as triangles, squares, or hexagons. The edges can work to lock in water and prevent it from escaping the sole of the shoe.
Instead, look for tread patterns that feature circular shapes. Circles have no hard edges, allowing water, oil, and other liquids to flow more easily through gaps in the tread. Circles also increase the surface area of the sole, allowing for more contact with the ground. The more circles present in a pattern, the better the grip your shoe will have.
Regardless of the tread pattern, each individual shape should be spaced far enough apart to allow for the proper dispersion of liquids. If they are too close together, they’ll end up trapping water or oil and increase your risk of hydroplaning. There should be around at least two millimeters of space between tread shapes.
The depth of the tread is just as important as the spacing. If the pattern is too shallow, it won’t offer the grip that you need on slick surfaces. However, if the tread is too deep, it may get packed with dirt, rocks, and other debris. You should look for a depth of around three millimeters around tread shapes. This will allow liquids to disperse quickly without sacrificing traction.
You must monitor the tread on any pair of non-slip shoes as you use them. Over time the pattern will wear down, making it less effective at preventing falls. You should replace your shoes when you notice the grooves starting to wear down to less than two to three millimeters in depth.
Non-Slip shoes for Women: Labeling
When you’re out shoe shopping, you may notice that many brands label their footwear as “non-slip” or “slip-resistant” on the box. Don’t let those labels fool you, however. Since there’s no official standard set for slip-resistance, most of the labels you see on shoe boxes are completely arbitrary. A company can advertise a shoe as non-slip without having any actual evidence.
That being said, looking for non-slip labels is a good place to start. While it’s no guarantee that a shoe will offer superior traction on slick surfaces, you can always check the outsole design and tread pattern to see if the shoe will provide the grip that you need. You can look for labels that say either “non-slip” or “slip-resistant,” as these terms are used interchangeably.
If you see a shoe that’s advertised as “oil-resistant,” however, it doesn’t mean that the footwear is non-slip. Oil resistant generally refers to the top of the shoe and means that the material won’t suffer from grease or oil stains. It doesn’t tell you anything about the sole of the shoe.
You should also take claims such as “restaurant-tested” and “chef approved” with a grain of salt. These are often unbacked statements and used purely as a marketing ploy. Always be sure to thoroughly inspect a pair of slip-resistant shoes to see if it can hold up to the manufacturer’s claims.
When to Wear Non-Slip Shoes
Non-slip shoes can improve your stability and safety across a wide range of situations. Many hikers, joggers, and runners opt for non-slip athletic shoes when they step outdoors. Some people, especially those at a higher risk of slipping and falling, benefit from using non-slip shoes for daily activities such as walking around the house, going out to get the mail, grocery shopping, and more.
You can also find non-slip shoes in workplaces that often have wet or oily floors, such as restaurants, hotels, hospitals, and more. In fact, some workplaces require the use of non-slip shoes to reduce the risk of workplace accidents.
As a rule of thumb, if you’re going to be walking anywhere with a possibility of wet or oily floors, you should wear slip-resistant footwear. With the right shoes, you can help to prevent trips and falls when walking, running, and lifting heavy objects.
There are times, however, when non-slip shoes might be a poor choice of footwear. While slip-resistant shoes can help to prevent falling in normal or slick conditions, they do the opposite in snowy conditions. Snow easily packs into the grooves of the tread pattern, preventing your shoes from getting a good grip and increasing your risk of slipping. The same goes for mud.
If you find yourself wearing non-slip shoes in these conditions, you should take regular breaks to clean the snow or mud from between the tread of your footwear. Doing this will ensure that you don’t lose traction and help to keep you safe as you move.
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