If you’re in your 40s then you’re on the knife edge of living forever - most people before you won’t and most behind will - but there’s no “almost” living forever - you either do you don’t... you’re either alive or you’re dead. Hence every small detail that can prolong your life is important.

Recently I’ve noticed slippery surfaces, particularly in some train stations, and am aware how a simple slip could have devastating consequences. Obviously they normally don’t, but eventually one will, and that one may just be the one I have. Out of half a million deaths in 2013 about 1,000 of them were due to slips and trips so less than one percent (I’m including codes W00, W01, W10 and W18 for the statisticians out there) – but every little helps on the way to immortality.

So how to make sure your shoes or boots can help prevent you slipping? Safety standard EN 20345 includes optional slip resistance ratings: SRA – on ceramic surface with “soap” SRB – on steel with glycerol SRC – both of the above All EN 20345 shoes and boots have strengthened toe caps that will also help prevent injury from crushing, so doesn’t matter if they’re SB, S1, S2 or S3 as long as they have the SRC rating. Personally, I’m also going for penetration resistance (P) and electrically insulating (I) as that might prevent death or injury from other causes too.

UPDATE: I plumped for a pair of CAT s Oversee S1 boots - though they're more like shoes so good to wear to work. EN 20345 so toes are now safe and they exceeds SRC requirements so looking forward to testing them at the train station which has a notoriously slippy underpass when its been raining.