Occupational Safety and Health Administration Logs

Does OSHA require a person to wear steel toe boots when working near an asphalt roller?

The company I work for requires all employees to wear steel toe boots. I don't feel it is safe for our paving crew to have steel toe boots on when working so closely with asphalt rollers and other heavy equipment. Seems to me the steel toe would cause more damage in that situation. I just want to be able to go to my supervisor with this issue and know what I am talking about. The crew just doesn't want to have to wear them if they don't have to. Also, can our company still require us to wear steel toe boots even if OSHA says we don't need to?

Public Comments

1. No they don't.
2. i would search the ol' osha rules.
3. That's what the co. says...do it or meet the consequences
4. What's the difference? If that asphalt roller rolls over someones foot, that foot will become part of the road bed, regardless of whether or not they are wearing steel toed boots.
5. It's worth a try. I've been here before. In the laboratory my company wanted me to wear thick neoprene gloves while dealing with a caustic product because the OSHA label says they are required. It is perfectly reasonable when working with large amounts of the chemical in 5 gallon totes. But the neoprene gloves are thick and clumsy when working with small vials of the chemical. They actually make an accident more likely. I eventually got management to see it my way. I have been dealing with chemicals for 20+ years. I don't need some guy behind a desk at an OSHA office telling me how to do my job safely.
6. yes they can, and they probably are trying to protect them.
7. osha requires anyone working with or around heavy equipment to wear steel toe boots