Happy Feet. What a cute movie with singing and tap dancing penguins (my little niece loves the movie). However, I’m not going to be talking about penguins in this blog. Instead, I’m talking about the feet at the end of our legs and keeping them happy.
No one likes to have sore, aching, or downright painful feet (which can also lead to lower back problems). This may seem like a self-explanatory topic, but let’s look at this from the standpoint of a new thermographer. The pace a thermographer sets while performing inspections is much slower than walking from one place to another. Many times we stand still or “shuffle” a foot or two to the next column of cabinets. This places different stresses on our feet and the boots. Shoes walked in all day may not give the support needed to stand and shuffle around all day. There are times when cost becomes the deciding factor in what you chose to wear on your feet during inspections. When I started as an electrician, the cost was the primary factor in buying footwear. What a mistake that was! Inexpensive shoes feel good for about a month, but they lose support and become completely uncomfortable as the soul of the shoe breaks down and support is lost.
The best work boots I ever had while working, as an electrician were steel toed Redwings, Logger Boots. However when I started working as a thermographer, my trusty Redwings were not working by the end of the day. I've been looking for the elusive “perfect” pair of shoes for about ten years now. While the “perfect” pair is still out there, I have found a few that work and feel good depending on what I am doing (electrical or mechanical inspections, motor testing, or teaching). I have different shoes for each and for packing reasons there is one pair that is acceptable for all, but not the best for any one task. This pair is a hiker style protective toe (notice I did not say steel toe) made by Carolina Shoes. The protective toe meets the ANSI standard like the steel toe boots do, but are made from Kevlar composites. My other favorite pair for when protective toes are not required is a pair of Ariat ATS boots. Although, the first week wearing them are torture (difficult to break-in). Both of these shoes/boots are around the two hundred dollar range, but I’ve found you get what you pay for.
What are happy feet? In my option, the feet feel as good after a day’s work as they did when you got up in the morning. I may never find the “perfect” pair I can wear no matter what the task is, but I am going to keep looking!
Comment on this blog post to let us know what your favorite pair of shoes are for performing inspections.