A steel-toe boot (also known as a safety boot, steel-capped boot, steel toecaps or safety shoe) is a durable

boot A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearl ...

shoe A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. Though the human foot can adapt to varied terrains and climate conditions, it is vulnerable, and shoes provide protection. Form was originally tied to function, but ...

that has a protective reinforcement in the

toe Toes are the digits of the foot of a tetrapod. Animal species such as cats that walk on their toes are described as being ''digitigrade''. Humans, and other animals that walk on the soles of their feet, are described as being ''plantigrade''; ...

which protects the foot from falling objects or compression. Safety shoes are effective in keeping the feet of industrial workers safe from sharp and heavy objects while working in factories. Safety footwear now comes in many styles, including

sneakers Sneakers (American English, US) or trainers (British English, UK), also known by a #Names, wide variety of other names, are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but are also widely used for everyday casual ...

, clogs, and dress shoes. Some are quite formal, for supervising engineers who must visit sites where protective footwear is mandatory. Some brands of steel-toe footwear have become fashionable within

subculture A subculture is a group of people within a culture, cultural society that differentiates itself from the values of the conservative, standard or dominant culture to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Subcultures ...

s such as

skinhead A skinhead or skin is a member of a subculture that originated among working-class youth in London, England, in the 1960s. It soon spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, with a second working-class skinhead movement emerging worldwide i ...

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

, and rivethead. While brands that were previously renowned within the fashion industry have also diversified into the safety footwear market, industrial brands like

Caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...

, Rock Fall and JCB have also issued licenses to produce safety footwear.

Safety boot

Safety boots are used by tradespeople to protect from environmental hazards at a

jobsite A workplace is a location where someone works, for their employer or themselves, a place of employment. Such a place can range from a home office to a large office building or factory. For industrialized societies, the workplace is one of the ...

. They may also be used for outdoor recreational activities or sports such as

off-roading Off-roading is the act of driving or riding in a vehicle on unpaved surfaces such as sand, dirt, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks, or other natural terrain. Off-roading ranges from casual drives with regular vehicles to competitive events w ...

overlanding Overlanding or 4WD Touring is self-reliant overland travel to remote destinations where the journey is the principal goal. Typically, but not exclusively, it is accomplished with mechanized off-road capable transport (from bicycles to trucks) wher ...

or woodchopping. Common protections include steel/reinforced toe, metatarsal guard, penetration-resistant (steel plate in mid-sole), electrical hazard (EH), chemical resistance and waterproofing. Modern safety boots are usually laced with a vertical side

zipper A zipper (N. America), zip, zip fastener (UK), formerly known as a clasp locker, is a commonly used device for binding together two edges of textile, fabric or other flexible material. Used in clothing (e.g. jackets and jeans), luggage and oth ...

under a hook-and-loop strap.

Safety criteria

Asia

Safety shoe standards in Asia are: * China: GB 21148 & An1, An2, An3, An4, An5 * Indonesia: SNI 0111:2009 * Japan: JIS T8101 * Malaysia: SIRIM MA 1598:1998 * Singapore: SS 513-1:2005 * India: IS 15298-I: 2011 test methods, IS 15298–II for safety footwear, IS 15298-III Protective footwear, IS 15298-IV Occupational Footwear * Thailand: TIS 523-2011

Europe

The

International Organization for Standardization The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ; ; ) is an independent, non-governmental, international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. M ...

provides the

European standard European Standards, sometimes called Euronorm (abbreviated EN, from the German name , "European Norm"), are technical standards which have been ratified by one of the three European Standards Organizations (ESO): European Committee for Standardizat ...

for safety footwear. The current one is ISO 20345:2011 - previously ISO 20345:2004. The codes applicable to European safety footwear are: There is also Previous EN ISO 20346:2004 and Now the latest one is EN ISO 20346:2021 for protective footwear (must comply to basic safety requirements but toe cap impact resistance requirement is lower - 100 Joules) & EN ISO 20347:2004 for Occupational Footwear (must comply to basic safety requirements with antistatic or slip-resistant properties. This standard does not require a protective toe cap)

North America

Canada

In Canada, the most common standards used by employers are those of the

CSA Group The CSA Group (formerly the Canadian Standards Association; CSA) is a standards organization which develops standards in 57 areas. CSA publishes standards in print and electronic form, and provides training and advisory services. CSA is composed ...

(formerly the Canadian Standards Association; CSA), published in CSA standard Z195. These standards are similar to the

ASTM International ASTM International, formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials, is a standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical international standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems and s ...

standards commonly used in the United States but the testing methods do vary. CSA standards on shoe labels feature distinct shapes and colors, represents specific safety criteria for all safety footwear and apparel: * Green triangle with registered symbol - Sole puncture protection with a Grade 1 protective toe. (Heavy work environment: construction; machine shops; where sharp objects are present) * Yellow triangle with registered symbol - Sole puncture protection with a Grade 2 protective toe. (Light industrial work environments) * White rectangle with orange Greek letter

omega Omega (, ; uppercase Ω, lowercase ω; Ancient Greek ὦ, later ὦ μέγα, Modern Greek ωμέγα) is the twenty-fourth and last letter in the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numerals, Greek numeric system/isopsephy (gematria), it has a value ...

and registered symbol - Soles that provide

electric shock An electrical injury (electric injury) or electrical shock (electric shock) is damage sustained to the skin or internal organs on direct contact with an electric current. The injury depends on the Current density, density of the current, tissu ...

resistance, with Ω (capital omega) being the symbol for

ohm Ohm (symbol Ω) is a unit of electrical resistance named after Georg Ohm. Ohm or OHM may also refer to: People * Georg Ohm (1789–1854), German physicist and namesake of the term ''ohm'' * Germán Ohm (born 1936), Mexican boxer * Jörg Ohm (1 ...

s of

electrical resistance The electrical resistance of an object is a measure of its opposition to the flow of electric current. Its reciprocal quantity is , measuring the ease with which an electric current passes. Electrical resistance shares some conceptual paral ...

. (Any industrial environment where live

electrical conductor In physics and electrical engineering, a conductor is an object or type of material that allows the flow of charge (electric current) in one or more directions. Materials made of metal are common electrical conductors. The flow of negatively c ...

s can occur) * Yellow rectangle with green letters "SD", a grounding symbol and registered symbol - Capable of dissipating an

electrostatic Electrostatics is a branch of physics that studies slow-moving or stationary electric charges. Since classical times, it has been known that some materials, such as amber, attract lightweight particles after rubbing. The Greek word (), mean ...

charge in a controlled manner. (Any industrial environment where a static discharge can be a hazard for workers or equipment) * Red rectangle with a black letter C, grounding symbol and registered symbol - Soles that are electrically conductive. (Any industrial environment where low-power electrical charges can be a hazard for workers or equipment) * White label with green

fir Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus ''Abies'' () in the family Pinaceae. There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Eurasia, and North Africa. The genu ...

tree symbol and registered symbol - Provides protection when using

chainsaw A chainsaw (or chain saw) is a portable handheld power saw, power saw that cuts with a set of teeth attached to a rotating chain driven along a guide bar. Modern chainsaws are typically gasoline or electric and are used in activities such as t ...

s. (

Forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

workers and others required to use a chainsaw) * Blue Square with registered symbol - Grade 1 protective toe only. (For all other environments not listed above) The registered symbol in each of the CSA Z195 protective footwear markings is a registered identifying logo or mark of the certifying agency. Examples of organizations that certify footwear to this standard include the Safety Equipment Institute (SEI), the

, and UL Solutions. Generally, a safety shoe is a shoe that follows at least one of five criteria. The criteria that a safety shoe adheres to can be found by looking for the CSA (Canadian Standards Association) alphanumeric code found inside the shoe. This code is made up of a combination of 5 different symbols: * 1, 2 or 0; * P or 0; * M or 0; * E, S or C; * X or 0. # The first code indicates whether the shoe has a steel-toe cap (a metal shell embedded on top of the toes part of the shoe). "0" means there is none. "1" means that there is, and it resists an impact of 125 joules (22.7 kg object falling from 56 cm above). "2" means that it resists an impact of 90 joules. # The second code indicates whether the shoe has soles that protect the arches of the feet from punctures. "P" means it does. "O" means it doesn't. # The third code indicates whether the shoe has a metatarsus protection against shocks and collisions. "M" means it does. "O" doesn't. # The fourth code indicates the shoe's electrical properties. "E" means it resists electrical shocks. "S" means it disperses static electrical. "C" means it conducts electricity. # This last code is found only on shoes that protect the foot from chainsaws, i.e. chainsaw boots. "X" it does, "O" does not.

United States

In the United States, the most common standards used by employers for protective footwear are

standards F2412-18a (Standard Test Methods for Foot Protection) and ASTM F2413-18 (Standard Specification for Performance Requirements for Foot Protection). OSHA previously required compliance of

ANSI The American National Standards Institute (ANSI ) is a private nonprofit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States. The organiz ...

Z41.1-1991, "American National Standard for Personal Protection-Protective Footwear," if purchased after July 5, 1994, or

standard "USA Standard for Men's Safety-Toe Footwear," Z41.1-1967, if purchased before that date. As of March 1, 2005, ANSI Z41 has been replaced by ASTM F2412 and ASTM F2413 ASTM certified footwear must include a label that indicates which safety standards that particular footwear meets. The various safety standards include: * I - Impact * C - Compression * Mt - Metatarsal * Cd - Conductive * EH - Electrical Hazard * SD - Static Dissipating * PR - Puncture Resistant

Oceania

* Australia: AS 2210.3:2019

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Steel-Toe Boot Shoes Boots Safety clothing Footwear