11 replies to this topic

[Stacys]

I am looking for guidance on an employee wearing crocs on the production floor. We are a food manufacturing plant. the crocs she is wearing are solid with no holes in the top of the shoe and there is about a 1 inch backing.  In our policy it only state the shoes has to have closed toe and back (but not how high of a back).  I feel that crocs are not made of suitable material to be on a production floor but others feel differently. Could someone please offer some advice, it would be greatly appreciated.

[MDaleDDF]

I don't think you have a leg to stand on here.  I don't see how the material itself would be an issue.  They're not out of line with your policy.   That's that, or update your policy.

 

However, this person may want to stop wearing crocs out-n-about for self respect reasons!  Lol, like people you see at Walmart in their jammies...

[Spidey]

I have written into my policy "Shoes shall be clean and in good repair.  Open toe shoes, sandals, and open heel shoes are prohibited.  Shoe soles should be oil/slip resistant."

 

Even if the crocs have a back, they would technically meet the closed heel requirement.  However, in my experience, crocs are not slip resistant, which is not a food safety hazard, but may be an OSHA hazard.

 

 

I also take offense at the self-respect statement for wearing crocs in public.  I still have a pair of fuzzy crocs I bought for $5 in 8th grade; 16 years later I still wear them (even in public) and love them.

Edited by Spidey, 27 September 2021 - 06:18 PM.

[MDaleDDF]

I also take offense at the self-respect statement for wearing crocs in public.  I still have a pair of fuzzy crocs I bought for $5 in 8th grade; 16 years later I still wear them (even in public) and love them.

 

Yes, well, I have a pair of leather pants I bought in Amsterdam, and wore daily for like 10 years, so I shouldn't say much perhaps.   I wear them to this day, and they've never been cleaned,ever.   You'd think they'd stink, but no.   I would definitely consider them a food safety hazard if worn to work tho!  perhaps biological?  

 

 

I was kind of dirty in my pro-musician days!   LOL.

[olenazh]

Yes, well, I have a pair of leather pants I bought in Amsterdam, and wore daily for like 10 years, so I shouldn't say much perhaps.   I wear them to this day, and they've never been cleaned,ever.   You'd think they'd stink, but no.   I would definitely consider them a food safety hazard if worn to work tho!  perhaps biological?  

 

 

I was kind of dirty in my pro-musician days!   LOL.

You've done it again MDaleDDF: you've made my day!

[kfromNE]

 

However, this person may want to stop wearing crocs out-n-about for self respect reasons!  Lol, like people you see at Walmart in their jammies...

   

Edited by kfromNE, 27 September 2021 - 07:35 PM.

[Scampi]

Everywhere, and I mean everywhere I've worked steel toe have been mandatory,  CANNOT imagine working all day in crocs

How would you clean them? That kinds of material develops deep fine cracks where all sorts of nasty stuff likes to lurk

 

 

 

they are without a doubt the ugliest food wear going and should be banned for aesthetic reasons

[Stacys]

This is from the corc website saying they are opened heel shoes.   UNACCEPTABLE footwear includes: open-toe/ heel shoes; sandals and flip flops; ballet shoes; and crocs™. ... Ballet shoes do not fully cover the top of the foot even when wearing long pants. Crocs™ have an open heel that is susceptible to splash hazards. Additionally, they have openings that allow liquids to pass through.

[Charles.C]

Yes, well, I have a pair of leather pants I bought in Amsterdam, and wore daily for like 10 years, so I shouldn't say much perhaps.   I wear them to this day, and they've never been cleaned,ever.   You'd think they'd stink, but no.   I would definitely consider them a food safety hazard if worn to work tho!  perhaps biological?  

 

 

I was kind of dirty in my pro-musician days!   LOL.

 

Hopefully not a Covid-related syndrome.

 

Otherwise, I am equally intrigued by why no stink ?. Sounds like you are, literally, sitting on a fortune.

[MDaleDDF]

This is from the corc website saying they are opened heel shoes.   UNACCEPTABLE footwear includes: open-toe/ heel shoes; sandals and flip flops; ballet shoes; and crocs™. ... Ballet shoes do not fully cover the top of the foot even when wearing long pants. Crocs™ have an open heel that is susceptible to splash hazards. Additionally, they have openings that allow liquids to pass through.

There's a bunch of different kinds of crocs though.   I'm not a croc fan, but if we're talking the closed heel kind, difficult to stop an employee wearing them, unless you narrow the scope for them.

 

For my off topic pants, lol, "I am equally intrigued by why no stink".     I don't know the science behind it, but they don't.   They definitely were a fortune.   I bought them in 2000, was living in Switzerland, and I went to Amsterdam for a few days to gig (ended up sleeping in an abandoned warehouse with a bunch of hippies, and didn't return to CH for like 2 months!   Lol)   Anyway, I saw these pants in a shop window.  They  were like $2k, which was an insane amount for me then, but I bought them anyway, and wore um commando for like 10 years straight, literally almost daily.   (It was my Jim Morrison stage.)   

 

People think leathers are a fashion statement, but they're absolutely indestructible.   The indigenous Americans knew how good animal skin pants were!   The original rock stars, lol.   Mine are scratched up, but they still look great and fit awesome, and they're almost 22 years old.

 

Edit:   Man, this is wayyyyyy too ot,lol.   I will refrain from such insanity going forward.   If anyone wants a crazy story, message me.   I have plenty to entertain, but these threads are neither the time nor place for my bad behaviors!   Back to food safety!

Edited by MDaleDDF, 28 September 2021 - 12:18 PM.

[TimG]

Hey Stacy, good morning. While you shouldn't do it often, it's not unheard of to re-assess threats with your food safety team and add or remove prohibitions in policy. I can kind of read between the lines, it seems like you want these crocs to be on the no fly list. Your best bet is to break it down into a pro/con discussion with your FST. There could be real hazards, to both food or employee safety, that only you and your FST are aware of.

 

If you do go that route, involve HR and be sensitive that change is never easy. You will probably also want to give a transition period for compliance.

[Hoosiersmoker]

Kick it to your Safety Manager first to see if they qualify safety-wise. If not, make them take action based on safety. FST should look at it if it's been raised as a potential food safety risk. Nothing wrong with performing risk assessments and reevaluating policy when questions are raised, just work the process and make sure your findings are founded.

 

On the matter of Crocs MDaleDDF: I have a pair that are about 15 years old (or more) and still use them for yard work as they are cool and lightweight. I could say that nearly anything you wear is as offensive as Crocs but I am not the type to judge people based on looks or choice of footwear.