Do you know how to tell if shoes are non-slip?
Well, if you do not, no need to worry. We shall give you a few helpful tips here.
Non-slip shoes are shoes that are made for specifically for use on wet, oily and other sticky surfaces. Most of the time, they are made with rubber soles which grip better on wet grounds.
In addition, they have anti-skid soles and patterned tread. Listen… a non-slip shoe is going to keep you from the hospital. If you don’t believe,check the web. In fact, some sources say that more than a million people end up in the emergency room every year due to slip and fall accidents.
Therefore, if you ask: are my shoes non-slip? You just don’t want to end up as part of those statistics.
So, how do you know if a shoe is non-slip? Keep reading to see a few helpful tips.
How Do You Know If A Shoe Is Non Slip
Table of Contents
Here are some tips on how to know whether you are buying non-slip shoes:
1. What does the manufacturer say?
Check the labels to see whether there is an indication from the manufacturer. Most manufacturers will indicate whether the shoes are non-slip.
If you are buying locally, you could inquire from the shop attendant if there is no indication or if you are not sure of the same.
In addition, even when you are ordering a pair online, you could read the description. However, take it with a pinch of salt because marketers can hype their products.
Therefore, when the shoes are delivered, do ascertain that they are indeed non-slip. If they are not and they were indicated as non-slip, return them for a refund or a replacement.
2. Scrutinize the tread patterns
Once you have checked that the manufacturer labels their shoes as non-slip, you can move on to the next step, which is a casual inspection.
Check the tread on the sole and see the patterns therein. The treads come in different patterns and shapes. Some are hexagonal while others are circular. By design, the treads will help to move the liquids out.
Therefore, if there is oil, water, soups or any other wet substances that your shoes will be exposed to, you can step steadily.
The more the treads the better grip your shoes will have on the floor. Therefore, look for shoes with more treads and if you can find it, go for the ones with interlock patterns for better protection.
3. Rounded soles are better than flat soles
Look for shoes with rounded sides rather than the flat outer soles. There is a good reason for this. For instance, the shoes with flat edges tend to keep liquids trapped under the shoes. Consequently, this can cause you to fall on slippery grounds.
However, when you choose the shoes with rounded outer soles, they push water away. Therefore, this helps you to have a firm grip on the ground. It does not lock water, oil or other liquids in when you are walking on slippery ground.
When thinking about what are non slip shoes, it is all about the out sole. When you step on slippery ground, the sole should be designed in such a way that it scatters the liquids away. Therefore, with the liquid displaced, you get a better grip.
4. Rubber soles offer better grip
Are rubber soles slip resistant? This is a popular question on the web.
If you have the option to buy shoes with rubbery soles, go for them. Indeed, therRubber soles tend to stick on the ground more than hard soles.
On the same note, hard soles will retain water under the shoes. For this reason, you don’t have a firm grip on the ground. Therefore, you are likely to slip and fall. However, with rubber soles, you are better protected from personal injury.
5. Look for soles with grooves
This is one of the ways to tell if shoes are non-slip. Therefore, soles with grooves are more flexible and they are less likely to trap water by channeling it from under the soles.
In addition, the grooves should be deep enough to be able to channel liquid from under your shoes. Therefore, make sure you check for grooves when buying non-slip shoes.
6. Find out the materials making the shoes
If you are buying your pair of shoes online, it is advisable to check qualities. For instance, check out for things such as the patterns on the shoes, the materials that the shoes are made of and grooves on the soles.
On the same note, check out the reviews of people who have bought the same shoes before you decide to buy.
If there are too many negative reviews, you should avoid that pair. Look for reviews that mention slip resistance.
Usually, if the shoes have Vibram soles, you can buy such because this is the Holy Grail in work and dress shoes.
In addition, if they come with natural rubber soles, get them! They will be slip-resistant. Therefore, you can buy them without hesitation.
7. Special Design Features
Look out for special design features such as Chevron or Ultra grip snipe soles. These soles tend to “clean” themselves out as you walk. Therefore, they allow you to keep a maximum tread grip.
Other features that you should look for include cleated soles or hug soles. Usually, these are used in heavy-duty industrial applications. In addition, they offer maximum grip and they last longer than other non-slip soles.
If the shoes are not slip resistant and you still want to keep them, perhaps there is a way. For instance, you can use aluminum oxide grit.
When you apply it to the soles, they will become rigid enough to give you proper grip on slippery floor. It is easy to apply and will give you the traction needed to keep your grip on the floor.
8. Lastly, you can test the shoes
You can test the shoes by using soap and oil. On that note, just pour soapy water or oil on the floor. Test your shoes by walking over it and see if they have a proper grip on the floor. If they don’t have proper grip, you should not use them to do restaurant jobs. If they have a good grip, you can wear them to work.
When to Wear Non-slip Shoes
This depends on many things. However, the ones that top the list include the weather and the nature of the work that you do.
While non-slip shoes are important for every kind of work, most of the time, they come in handy for hospital jobs, restaurant jobs, oil jobs in gas stations, refineries and drilling stations.
In addition, you need non-slip work boots during the rainy season when the ground is wet and muddy. In addition, when there is snow on the pathways, wear non-slip shoes to avoid slipping and falling.
Buy non-slip shoes for your children too.Children play a lot and they are likely to slip and fall on slippery grounds. In addition, the non-slip shoes are also good for riding bikes. Simply, I guess what we are trying to say here is that work boots, dress shoes and all the other types of footwear should be slip-resistant.
Even when you are at home, you must take care so that you don’t slip and injure yourself. Therefore, get yourself non-slip sandals for walking around the house, especially when you are cleaning. Wet floor can be very dangerous if you have sandals that are not non-slip or when walking bare foot on wet tiled or wooden floor.
Don’t forget to get a pair of non-slip sandals and slippers for using in the bathroom. Every year, tens of thousands of injuries sustained in the bathroom are reported.
Therefore, unless you want to become part of the stats, make sure you wear non-slip sole shoes.
Conclusion
That is it for how to tell if shoes are non slip. However, some people also ask: why are my slip resistant shoes slippery? The most likely reason is that they are new or old. If new, just sand them with a find grit sandpaper. If old, buy another pair.
Finally, as we finish, is non marking the same as non slip? Well, not really. Non-marking shoes are used in the construction industry. Therefore, when you are doing asphalt jobs, regular soles might leave footprints. However, non-marking soles will not. Non-slip shoes can leave marks because they have thicker treads.