Our job is to protect women and men at work. To this effort, we design and manufacture complete personal and collective protection solutions for professionals worldwide.
Our job is to protect women and men at work. To this effort, we design and manufacture complete personal and collective protection solutions for professionals worldwide.
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For more than 45 years, Delta Plus designs, standardises, manufactures, and distributes globally a full set of solutions in personal and collective protective equipment (PPE) to protect professional at work.
Delta Plus is working on the design of innovative protective footwear capable of reducing the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Boris Dodin provides an update.
Protective footwear to combat MSD
Delta Plus is working on the design of innovative protective footwear capable of reducing the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Boris Dodin provides an update.
Expertise
Protective footwear to combat MSD
Update05.02.25
Musculoskeletal disorders at work
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), which affect joints, muscles and tendons, are one of the risks of work-related illness. Delta Plus teams are committed to preventing the onset of MSDs, and are working in particular to protect feet with innovative footwear. To achieve this, they are working in partnership with health professionals, particularly in the field of movement. Boris Dodin, Global Product Line Manager, explains why and how.
Why did the Delta Plus group want to develop a new range of footwear aimed at reducing RSI?
Boris Dodin: ‘Delta Plus is part of a drive to move upmarket in the boots and shoes segment. In this highly competitive market, we need to offer our customers real added value.
Delta Plus has therefore chosen to focus its approach on the comfort, well-being and health of workers. It's a question of integrating a technology that makes sense, because the issue of musculoskeletal disorders is a real public health problem, but also a matter of concern for companies.
Young workers are increasingly volatile and change employers easily. PPEplays a role in their decision. If they're poorly equipped, they'll leave. In certain professions, such as construction, logistics and industry, footwear is a tool for well-being that contributes to employee loyalty.
The aim was to be able to design shoes that are comfortable as soon as you put them on and over the long term, but also to contribute to the prevention of ill-health among workers by providing better protection for ankles, knees, tendons and backs’.
To prevent MSDs, you have chosen to work with a health professional. Why?
Serge Mesure works mainly with sportspeople, but people who work in construction or logistics also carry out physical tasks. As such, they can be compared to sportsmen and women.
What did you learn from it?
Boris Dodin: ‘Serge Mesure gave us a detailed explanation of the different stages of the step and their impact:
the shock when the heel lands,
the importance of stability when the foot is placed flat,
then the propulsion effort.
He taught us that, by nature, the human body tries to save itself so as not to tire prematurely. To preserve the body, we need to respect the morphology and biomechanics of the foot as much as possible. For example, we've all had the same experience: when you wear rubber boots, you sometimes feel like you're going to take off your shoes and you tense up your toes to hold them on. Over time, this can lead to fatigue.
Our aim is to offer footwear that respects the natural movement of the foot as much as possible.
How did you then apply this knowledge to the design of Delta Plus shoes?
Boris Dodin: ‘First of all, we hired a person who worked with Serge Mesure for a year and carried out a series of tests with different Delta Plus shoes to determine which models were the most “facilitating” for the user. Analysis of this data enabled us to better characterise our models and refine our recommendations to our customers.
Subsequently, the aim is to be able to design prototype shoes optimised to limit the risk of musculoskeletal disorders by promoting shock absorption and facilitating propulsion thanks to a rebound effect insert.
We are also working on a shoe that will reduce the risk of ankle sprains, a frequent accident for employees working in unstable or slippery environments. This shoe will be able to better absorb the movement responsible for the sprain.
Finally, the idea is to be able to offer our customers new models adapted to different tasks: a static production line operator does not have the same needs as a logistics worker who walks 10 km a day. The first models should be available for sale in 2026.
To innovate and meet the needs of workers, Delta Plus regularly works with experts and researchers: find out about the synergy of worldwide expertise that has gone into designing premium protective footwear that is comfortable, lightweight and high-performance, or the design of an acoustic cabin, the Cabin-Delta , to refine the protection of operators wearing ear muffs.
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