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One big step for safety
It looks like a simple silver trailer, but it's more like a shoe store on wheels. Mike Sitarz pulls his metal trailer, better known among Fermilab employees as the "shoemobile," behind the Technical Division industrial buildings at 8 a.m. every Tuesday. He stays until 4 p.m., fitting employees with safety shoes required for their jobs.
Sitarz's store, Knippen Shoes, located in Wheaton, Illinois, is contracted by Fermilab's Environmental Safety & Health Section to make weekly visits. Inside the carpeted trailer, stacks of cardboard boxes line the walls and fitting chairs await customers. Sitarz, who's been making the trip to Fermilab for 11 years, carries about 350 pairs of shoes, ranging from Skechers to Red Wings.
Employees required to wear special work shoes receive a footwear request signed by their supervisor detailing the safety features that are needed. The most common requirements are for nonathletic, leather, ankle-high shoes with steel-toe protection, Sitarz says. Other jobs just require shoes with the capacity to protect those who work with electricity. Fermilab will pay up to $85 per pair, and if an employee chooses a pair over that limit, they're expected to cover the additional cost.
On what Sitarz calls the "free wall" about 40 pairs of shoes are displayed, all $85 or less. The hardest part is finding the pair that fits best, Sitarz says. "Steel-toed shoes are even more difficult because if you don't get the proper size, they'll kill you," he says. Employees don't have to purchase their shoes from Sitarz, but that's often the easiest option, says Rafael Coll, who coordinates Fermilab's safety shoe program. "It's convenient because people don't have to miss work," he says. "If they go out to town, it could take a couple hours. But here, they're in and out in less than a half hour."
Kendra Snyder
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