Tapping into potential together

Equipping safety shoes with foot orthoses is a popular measure to keep the employees healthy in large corporations, such as Deutsche Post AG. For this purpose, Bauerfeind unites the expertise of industry and craftsmanship in a targeted manner – and also delivers a design-tested foot orthosis with the ErgoPad work:h.

Occupational safety and health protection now extend far beyond accident prevention alone and also focus increasingly on medical prevention.
This applies especially for large corporations in the booming logistics and shipping industry, whose employees have to stand, walk and carry a great deal. A continuous increase in musculoskeletal complaints can be observed, the causes of which often lie in inappropriate mechanical stress in the feet. In this regard, chronic heel and ankle pain and even inflammation of the plantar fascia and tendon structure lead to stabbing pain and cause usually long employee absences. Many companies have now also recognized the economic importance of this issue and are open to appropriate treatment measures. However, access to this large and profitable business area is not exactly easy for small , generally only regional orthopedic footwear companies. After all , not only should possible foot misalignments be determined by measurement among the workforce in general , at locations spread across the country, including during late shifts and night shifts. In fact , there are often also uncertainties regarding the conformity of the shoe and the foot orthosis, the procurement channels and the handling of appropriate treatment measures.

A win–win situation for all

Bauerfeind has the necessary conditions to establish contact with the large corporations – and is now the preferred supplier of foot orthoses for occupational safety shoes for many well-known companies. As a qualified and well-networked industry partner, the company can address the needs of the customer group expediently and offer comprehensive solutions in the form of suitable work aids, service concepts and the coordination of all participants. If required, Bauerfeind also provides its own team for this purpose, which carries out foot screening and measurements at the company locations within occupational health management. The implementation and product supply for the employees is carried out by local Bauerfeind quality partners, creating special business areas and fields of activity for these companies.
An example is the Fuß-Fit-Forum, a medical supply retailer operating more than ten branches, which has been the epitome of expert support in medical supplies, orthotics, orthopedic footwear technology and rehabilitation technology in Franconia since 2002. Headquartered in Nuremberg, the company was already active in the area of occupational health management itself and carried out foot pressure measurements for local customers. In future, Fuß-Fit-Forum will support the Bauerfeind occupational health management team with foot pressure measurements on site, preferably at existing customers such as DHL and its locations in Franconia. At the same time, there is also a focus on potential new customers: “Special opportunities for success are created when industry and craftsmanship advice are presented to potential new customers together, to open up a dialog with the respective company physicians on the topic of health management ,” explains orthotist Mirko Neubert from Fuß-Fit-Forum. Here, the role that occupational health and safety management play in the company and which needs arise on the part of the workforce have to be determined. “The important thing here is to clarify the bureaucratic obstacles, some of which are fairly large, for orthotic care in the company, including financing.” It is then about developing and presenting solutions for the respective requirements. “As a strong, professional partner, Bauerfeind can offer the corresponding value and scope, which we cannot provide as a relatively small company, and thus make a significant contribution to successful orthotic care. Ideally, this results in a win–win situation for all participants, from which Bauerfeind, we as a specialist company and the large corporation benefit directly.”

Design-tested quality

The ErgoPad work:h Bauerfeind foot orthosis for work safety shoes is part and parcel of the company’s orthotic care range. It protects the heel from impacts and overloading, combats chronic heel and ankle pain and softly cushions every step. “The quality of the Bauerfeind foot orthoses and specifically that of the ErgoPad work:h is high, which is why it is used most often here,” Mirko Neubert says. “The key advantage is the fact that the foot orthoses are design-tested for the most common safety shoe models and meet all the protection requirements.” In detail , the respective unit consisting of a shoe and foot orthosis complies with DIN EN 20345 for safety shoes as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), as well as DIN 61340 for electrostatics. “Bauerfeind has worked intensively in the area of occupational health and safety and has now collected a great deal of data, statistics and experience. As a specialist company, we can also benefit from this knowledge and use it for ourselves via platforms such as the Shoe Finder,” Mirko Neubert explains. The Shoe Finder can be accessed at www.bauerfeind.de/schuhfinder and offers a clear overview of the current status of the already design-tested models.
All in all , the ErgoPad work:h foot orthosis is a high-quality and effective solution, which can be adjusted individually to the wearer and the shoe. Together with the expertise from industry and craftsmanship, it offers the best conditions to meet the requirements in the area of orthotic care for safety shoes, particularly in large corporations.

Images: Deutsche Post AG/Wilfried Maisy/REA, Conny Kurz (5)