Wondering around with your toes, pants, feet, hands, wires, etc. can get you in trouble. If you place the foot switches in the RIGHT location you can minimize the likelihood that you will get "caught-up" in your anchor going-in or coming-back.

The rated switches (like Lewmar's, and other's) really are really designed to be up in those elements. Lewmar used to make an air switches, which we have. Now they have protected contact switches. They've worked flawlessly for our electric winches which get douched with many gallons of high pressure water when we clean down the cockpit week after week.

Frankly, those switches are relatively low amperage with large wires compared to the amperage leading to the solenoids. The concern I have with an anchor up there is that the "high" load motor is usually in a very challenging salt and moisture environment in a proper anchor locker. We've had our Lewmar Ocean windlass for 16 wet, salty years. The motor has been cleaned periodically and repainted. The contracts greased, and "cared" for. It's still not a pristine environment up there. Eventually, it will have to be replaced. Hopefully, not in the next five years, or so!