The survey revealed that over half (51%) of outdoor workers are unhappy with their boots and 65% of outdoor workers suffer with cold feet. Other complaints included wet feet (40%), smelly feet (25%), blisters (21%) and chilblains (16%).

Comfort and price are the top considerations for people buying outdoor workwear (73% and 40% retrospectively), while 58% of outdoor workers purchase their boots from conventional high-street stores or online retailers.

Furthermore, it was revealed that three quarters of outdoor workers purchase their own boots, meaning the onus can’t be attributed to employers.

Jon Marchant, global category manager at Airwair International – Dr. Martens, said: “In our experience, the problem comes from a lack of information. If outdoor workers are focusing on comfort and price, they run the risk of overlooking features that are critical to outdoor working, such as water resistance and warmth."

In addition, less than half of employers contribute to outdoor workers’ footwear. However, of those that do, employers provide a significant contribution of 68% covering more than half of the cost.

Dr. Martens’ own fully waterproof collection is particularly suitable for outdoor workers enduring prolonged exposure to the cold weather offering antistatic properties, a composite safety toe cap and a Smartmask puncture resistant midsole. Available in three styles (TURBINE ST, TORRENT ST and SURGE ST) the boots also meet EN and ISO safety standards.