SFC (Shoes For Crews) is a privately held safety solutions company that specializes in high-quality slip-resistant footwear. Every year, the SFC protects over 3.5 million employees in over 120,000 places of employment from slip and fall injuries. It managed to spend more than 30 years researching safety science. For the past two years, we’ve been working to improve the comfort, technology, and design of the entire product line to keep crews safe.
The Shoes for Crews Corporate Program is supported by a number of restaurants. Non-slip footwear with unrivaled slip-resistance outsole technology is manufactured and sold by Shoes for Crews. For two main reasons, employers in the hospitality industry commonly motivate their employees to wear SFC shoes. For starters, employees wearing SFC shoes help prevent slip and fall injuries caused by wet or greasy floor surfaces. Second, Shoes for Crews provides employers with a warranty that includes a $5,000 payment for medical fees caused as a result of an employee slipping while wearing SFC shoes. An employer must agree to participate fully in the Shoes for Crews Corporate Program to be eligible for this warranty.
The Importance of Proper Footwear and Slip-resistant Mats as a Crew
The amount of varying dangers in such a small space makes restaurant kitchens hazardous work environments for employees. Working in a commercial kitchen exposes restaurant employees to a variety of hazards, including stovetop flames, razor-sharp knives, and 400-degree frying oil. For avoiding injury from these hazards, safety programs and protocols are essential.
Wearing slip-resistant shoes as well as using slip-resistant mats can help employees prevent some of the most common kitchen hazards. Slips and falls are a major issue in nearly every type of restaurant kitchen in the United States. Employees who are wearing slip-resistant shoes were half as likely to fall as those wearing other footwear, according to a Liberty Mutual study. These safety products improve the amount of friction restaurant workers have with the floor, regardless of grease, water, or other substances.
If you want to reduce the number of slip and fall injuries in your restaurant’s kitchen, you should first learn about the common causes of the problem, what employers and employees can do to help, and how slip-resistant work shoes can help keep employees safe.
1. Slip Hazards
During normal use, kitchen floors can become slick and dangerous. This emphasizes the significance of slip-resistant work shoes, as additional traction from footwear can significantly reduce the number of slips and falls. While it may be difficult to eliminate slick floors, several factors can increase the likelihood of slipping.
Spilled water, oils, and grease are among the most common causes of kitchen slips and falls. These frequently used substances can come from a variety of surprising places. Employees may spill oil while transporting cooking liquid containers or simply using it regularly. Water can show up from almost anywhere, especially near the sink or ice maker.
2. Employers and Employees Can Do
Various precautions, according to the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration, can be taken to improve worker safety and reduce hazards such as wet floors. Employees should keep kitchens well-lit to improve visibility, clean spills immediately with clean mops to avoid spreading more excess oil around and use caution signs to let other workers know which areas of the kitchen they should avoid, according to COSHA.
Restaurants should also rearrange kitchens to improve visibility, ensure bus tubs are not overfilled, reduce walkway clutter, reduce the need to carry heavy pots and respond quickly to maintenance issues like a leaking pipe. When used near a fry station or sink, splash guards can help to prevent spills of oil, grease, or water.
3. Slip-resistant Mat and Shoes Can Help
By enhancing the interaction between the shoe and the floor, slip-resistant footwear improves the wearer’s friction coefficient. Slip-resistant shoes make wet or dry floors much safer thanks to special rubber compounds and unique tread features that wick away contaminants. Employees do not just rely on the friction on the floor with these shoes; they also have a dependable surface at the bottom of their feet.
Slip-resistant mats also give workers a place to stand that provides traction and friction regardless of the flooring they’re on. In addition, this reduces one of the most common restaurant fall hazards: rugs. Slip-resistant mats can support employees while also preventing them from sliding around on the floor.
Here are the confessions of popular Corporates
1. Britt Roarx – CP-FS of Texas Roadhouse
We thank everyone who has worked together over the years to keep countless Roadies team members safe, and we are proud to have Shoes for Crews as our leading slip-resistant footwear partner, with the technological advancements Shoes for Crews is making in their products, combined with a new and fresh outlook on today’s footwear. As we expand our brand, Shoes For Crews works with us every year to provide safe, efficient products and Legendary service to all of our Roadies.
2. Chick-fil-A – Rose Roth, ARM | Chick-fil-A Inc.’s Enterprise Risk Management
Shoes for Crews has been an important long-term partner and supplier since 2000, providing the most useful slip-resistant shoes in the industry. Chick-fil-A, Inc. chose Shoes for Crews as a partner to source for our Operators not only because of their unrivaled patented slip-resistant shoe technology, which will keep their Team Members safe in the restaurants, but also because of their commitment to product and customer service excellence.
3. Rubio’s Coastal Grill – Jaime Guzman – Safety Manager
Safety is instilled in our DNA at Rubio’s. We began our relationship with SFC many years ago based on research demonstrating the effectiveness of wearing slip-resistant footwear in a restaurant setting. We expect to continue using the SFC solution for many years to come, based on the success we’ve seen since implementing it. Our attention must be focused on our employees and their well-being because they represent everything that Rubio’s Coastal Grill stands for today, tomorrow, and in the coming years. Having a slip-resistant shoe program with SFC is a simple way to reduce the risk of a slip and fall as well as provide a safer workplace.
4. Panera Bread – Ken Hall – Safety Director
Over the last four years, Panera has seen excellent results from our collaboration with SFC. Associate participation is high, associate injuries have decreased year after year, and our managers report that the overall program, from placing an order to payroll deductions to returns and refunds, is simple to implement and not at all burdensome.
5. Joey Pamaran Tugung CWCP, CRMS – Unified Care Services, LLC’s Director, Risk Management
In essence, through the SFC program, we were able to not only save millions of dollars in premiums but were also able to proudly invest in the company’s most valuable asset, its human resources. Employee safety and welfare were prioritized, which over time contributed to a work environment with high employee morale and productivity. Safety is everything when it comes to Shoes For Crews
No matter what role you play in a restaurant—owner, manager, server, or busser—or what type of establishment you work for, whether traditional, fast food or breakfast, reducing the likelihood of slips and falls is always a good idea. You can reach this common kitchen conundrum with a multifaceted approach that employs slip-resistant footwear and mats, identifies and eliminates slip hazards, trains employees for safer procedures that creates quick and effective cleaning guidelines and motivates managers and employees to remain vigilant in the kitchen.