Slip resistance and wearability of safety footwear used on icy surfaces for outdoor municipal workers.

Only four participants were used to calculate the slip-resistance scores. The footwear was tested in a laboratory on controlled ice slopes, not during real municipal work or outdoor winter tasks. The decision-matrix weights came from personal support workers, not municipal workers, and the authors say this assumption may not hold. The tested footwear was chosen from the most purchased models, and some models may have been bought for non-winter use. The best-performing boot was expensive, about $250, so many workers may not be able to buy it. The study measured slip resistance and wearability, not actual falls or injuries. The authors note that footwear performance may change between the same models from one year to the next.

The authors developed the Maximum Achievable Angle test and the website www.ratemytreads.com based on these results. No funding source or conflict-of-interest declaration is provided.

Do not read the one 8-degree result as proof that this boot prevents falls in real winter work. It was tested in a controlled laboratory on ice slopes, not in municipal workplaces, and the study did not measure falls or injuries.