Vintage work crew photos

[Toolmaker51]

Removing mill shoes?
Why not, a good portion of them are sitting down...

Who commissions a shot like this?
How (why?) on earth do industrial photographers shoot such poor examples of workplace settings?
Question might be who the photo is intended for, surely not board of directors or stockholders. If it's accountants or payroll, those men are screwed!

googling "..... mill shoes" turns up more about steel toe footwear than industrial equipment...