The effect of underground mining footwear on lower limb gait characteristics and perceived comfort

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the impact of three commonly used underground mining boots on comfort and gait characteristics when compared to a control condition. Finding the footwear that least impacts gait characteristics should aid in limiting worker exposure to STF and injury risk. To accomplish this objective, this major paper begins with a literature review (Section 2) of STF risks in mining, gait characteristics and the influence of work boot factors on gait and comfort. In Section 3 laboratory methods used to evaluate gait and perceived comfort when wearing mining boots are presented and findings are shared in Section 4. Further discussion on relevance of this work to underground miners, work boot manufacturers, and health and safety practitioners is presented in Section 5 along with recommendations for future research and knowledge dissemination.