Aim: Workplaces with a high percentage in standing and walking on hard surfaces may imply an unnatural strain on the musculoskeletal system. Prolonged standing can cause back pain and cardiovascular diseases which leads to a high loss of working hours. To reduce these risks there are alternatives like using ergonomic safety shoes and cushioning flooring mats. Different shoes and flooring conditions were valuated by measuring the plantar pressure distribution. A registration of subjective criteria for an optimal floor-shoesystem was taken addition-ally. Method: 77 workers in the automotive industry were asked about different floor-shoeconditions within testing a new safety shoe (forefoot and rear foot cushioning). In-shoe plantar pressure distribution was measured while 10 subjects walking over concrete and an anti-fatigue mat with three different safety shoes. Results: Generally the effect of cushioning elements in all of the safety shoes could be manifested. The most reduction of plantar pressure was measured in a safety shoe with forefoot and rear foot cushioning in the inside sole. Walking on the anti-fatigue mat could not reduce plantar pressure in none of the shoes. 50 % of the workers had at least one problem with their new safety shoes and 45 % prefer working on an anti-fatigue mat with their conventional shoes. Conclusions: The results of this study show that cushioning shoe components should install right at the interface between foot and shoe. The use of anti-fatigue mats does not seem advisable with regard of an additional pressure reduction at work places where safety shoes are required. In the decisionmaking procedure the damping function is only one aspect of the optimal floor-shoesystem.
