PPE & WORKWEAR BOOTS YOU
As the GalGael Trust works to support its local community by keeping its traditions alive, Dr. Martens gets onboard with its range of sturdy industrial boots.
Home to the GalGael Trust, Govan in the heart of Glasgow has a proud heritage as a world centre for shipbuilding. When this industry went into decline in the late 1960s, unemployment and poverty increased dramatically, provoking a group of local unemployed people to establish the GalGael Trust to help tackle social issues. Inspired by the area’s rich history, the founders of GalGael sourced timber from fallen trees in the Glasgow storm of 1998 to build the timber-framed workshop it operates from today.
Since the 1990s, the Trust has worked closely with the community on a number of ambitious boat building projects in addition to crafting smaller products including carvings, furniture, ironwork and rowing boats. However, the Trust’s mainstay continues to be the building of large traditional timber ships as part of long-term community regeneration projects that aim to provide a safe harbour for those whose lives have been affected by unemployment, depression or addiction. These projects also offer an opportunity for local people to gain training in transferable skills and to express their creativity while re-building individual and community pride and identity.
A HAZARDOUS
ENVIRONMENT The workshop at GalGael is operated by four full-time workshop stewards and project leads in addition to a number of apprentice boat builders. Each member of the team spends the majority of the working day on their feet, putting significant pressure on them day after day. The burden of holding a person’s weight for extended periods can cause the muscles in the foot to come under intense strain, resulting in permanent damage if the correct footwear isn’t worn. Longer-term this can lead to toe abnormalities, fallen arches and arthritis. Comfortable and protective footwear is also crucial to prevent sore
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feet which can contribute to loss of concentration, placing employees at higher risk of accidents and injury.
In support of the grassroots community work undertaken by the GalGael Trust, Dr. Martens recently donated four pairs of boots from its industrial range to the workshop team. Working closely with GalGael to assess specific workplace hazards and requirements, Dr. Martens supplied three styles of boots from its collection: the Kestrel, Forge ST and Heath ST. Each boot was selected for its heavy duty slip, puncture and water resistant properties, ensuring total comfort and durability every day.
One of the biggest risks experienced by individuals on the workshop floor at GalGael is slips and trips, particularly as conditions include working on rough, wet or icy ground, using power tools and sharp objects. This risk is just as high at businesses across the UK, with slips and trips responsible for more than half (56%) of all major injuries and almost one third (31%) of over 7 day injuries to employees recorded by the HSE in 2013, making it the single most common cause of major injury.
GRIP AND COMFORT GalGael requires all individuals working in the workshop and yard to wear boots with a safety toecap. This is essential as there is significant risk of the foot being struck or crushed by falling objects, caught under moving vehicles or in machinery. The Dr. Martens safety toecap meets European standards, offering protection from a minimum 200j impact and 15kN compression force. Boots are also designed to provide differing options of sole tread, depending on the grip capability that is required. In addition to slip resistant soles, a puncture resistant midsole plate protects against the threat of underfoot hazards and some sole designs can offer heat resistance up to 300°C for 60 seconds.
www.tomorrowshs.com
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