Safety shoes have a long history. Before the steel toed shoe, workers in Europe often wore wooden shoes, called sabots, to work because they offered some protection against falling objects. In fact, it was a French worker who gave us the word "sabotage' when he threw his wooden shoes into the machinery at a clothing factory because he opposed the Industrial Revolution. Ironically, the word, sabotage can still be synonymous with work shoes. However, it isn't the workers who are causing the problem by throwing their shoes in the machinery. Rather, it is the management, who are sabotaging the operation by ignoring safety shoes and their importance. Too often management thinks that it is the responsibility of the workers to buy safety shoes and as long as those shoes meet guidelines, they don't worry about it. However, such a shortsighted policy can cost as much money and hinder operations as if someone actually did throw their shoes into the machinery.
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