Mr Fytche, a tanker driver, was provided with steel-capped safety boots every six months. These were designed to protect his feet against injury from heavy, sharp or hard objects. He suffered frostbite in his toe when water got into one of his boots through a tiny hole while he was working outside in extreme weather conditions. The Court of Appeal ruled that the absolute obligation imposed by the regulations to repair and maintain protective equipment applied only to the risks for which the equipment was to provide protection, and not to any other risks which might arise if the equipment was not in an efficient state or in good repair. The House of Lords, now the Supreme Court, upheld the ruling.