Developing tools to help food service workers choose safer shoes
Official title: Preventing Slips in Food Service: Development of Tools for Shoe Selection and Replacement
Funded at University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh · NIH-10912419 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is all about helping food service workers stay safe on the job by finding the best shoes to prevent slips and falls, and it involves workers in creating easy-to-use tools to help them choose and check their footwear.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $528,298 |
| NIH project number | 5R01OH010940-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-10912419 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are food service workers who are at risk of slip and fall accidents due to their footwear.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not work in the food service industry or who are not involved in occupations with slip and fall risks may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research focuses on preventing slip and fall accidents in the food service industry by creating tools that help workers select and inspect their footwear. The study will gather data on the slip resistance of various shoes and how their performance changes over time. By involving food service workers in the design process, the tools will be user-friendly and tailored to their needs. The ultimate goal is to reduce injuries by ensuring that workers wear appropriate shoes based on reliable friction performance data.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could significantly reduce the number of slip and fall injuries among food service workers.
How similar studies have gone: While there is ongoing research into slip-resistant footwear, this specific approach of developing user-centered tools for the food service industry is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Beschorner, Kurt E — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Beschorner, Kurt E
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Elastomeric membranes for safer pelvic organ prolapse repair
A new 3D-printed elastomeric membrane made from polycarbonate urethane is being tested to replace stiff polypropylene meshes for pelvic organ prolapse in women, aiming to reduce complications.
-
Role of hyaluronan in egg development and ovarian reserve
This grant studies how the hyaluronan matrix in the ovary affects the aging of the female reproductive system and the pool of eggs available.
-
Regulatory switches that control imprinting in early human development
This grant studies how certain genes stay “one-copy” active in early development and what goes wrong in assisted reproduction, with a focus on imprinting disorders.
-
Identifying molecular signs of imprinting errors linked to fertility treatments
This grant studies how assisted reproductive technologies may cause imprinting errors in embryos and how these errors relate to certain birth conditions, with implications for families using infertility treatments.
-
Bioadhesive vaginal film for 7-day protection against HIV, HSV, and pregnancy
A vaginal film that slowly releases antibodies to prevent HIV, HSV, and unintended pregnancy for about a week from a single use.
-
Spermatogonial stem cell transplantation and culture in patients
Researchers are testing a way to transplant or grow sperm-producing cells back in boys and men who stored tissue before cancer treatment, to help them have biological children in the future.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.