PITTSBURGH—Crocs, the funky, rubbery clog-like shoes, have been deemed inappropriate footwear for workers in patient-care areas at a hospital.
The shoes have holes and pose a safety hazard, said Sharon Krystofiak, Mercy Hospital’s infection control manager.
“If there’s a chance you could drop something like a syringe in one of them, we want to avoid that,” Krystofiak said. “Some of those holes are relatively large, almost like a dime.”
Mercy ICU nurse Kara Depasquale, 23, was wearing Crocs on Monday, when the policy went into effect—and she called it ridiculous.
“I mean, I can get a needle stuck in my arm or my leg,” Depasquale said. “I work 12-hour shifts, and I’m constantly on my feet.”
Crocs, based in Niwot, Colo., about 30 miles north of Denver, sells shoes in at least 80 countries. An message left after business hours for a Crocs spokeswoman was not immediately returned.
In April, Blekinge hospital in southern Sweden banned Crocs, saying they generate static electricity that could interfere with medical equipment.
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Information from: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review,
