A steel-toe boot is a durable boot or shoe that has a protective reinforcement
in the toe which protects the foot from falling objects or compression, usually
combined with a mid sole plate to protect against punctures from below.
Although traditionally made of steel, the reinforcement can also be made of a
composite material, a plastic such as thermoplastic polyurethane or even
Aluminum. Steel-toe boots are important in the construction industry and in many
industrial settings. Occupational safety and health legislation or insurance
requirements may require the use of such boots in some settings, and may mandate
certification of such boots and the display of such certification directly
on the boots. The markings on the boot label will indicate the national or
international standards that the boot was intended to meet, and identify the
level of protection offered for impact, penetration, electric shock, and
chemical hazards. Footwear for use in chemical processing or semiconductor
manufacturing may also be rated to dissipate static electricity while still
protecting the wearer from electric shock.
Safety footwear now comes in many styles, including sneakers and clogs.
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 subcultures such as skinhead, punk, and rivethead.
While brands that were previously renowned within the fashion industry
have also diversified into the safety footwear market, industrial brands like
Caterpillar, Rock Fall and JCB have also issued licenses to produce safety
footwear. Safety criteria
Most safety shoes have symbols on the outside, to indicate the protection that
the shoe offers. Examples are: Green Triangle indicates that it is a
class 1 toe cap with puncture resistant sole.
Yellow Triangle indicates that it is a class 2 toe cap with puncture resistant
sole. White Square indicates electrical
protection. Yellow Square indicates anti-static
protection. Red Square indicates electrically
conductive. Fir Tree indicates protection against
chain-saws. = United States =
In the United States, the applicable standard for protective footwear is ASTM
standards F 2412-05, Standard Test Methods for Foot Protection and ASTMF
2413-05, Standard Specification for Performance Requirements for Foot
Protection. OSHA requires compliance of ANSI
Z41.1-1991, "American National Standard for Personal Protection-Protective
Footwear," if purchased after July 5, 1994, or ANSI standard "USA Standard for
Men's Safety-Toe Footwear," Z41.1-1967. if purchased before.
California has updated its regulations with the new 2005 ASTM standards F
2412-05, Standard Test Methods for Foot Protection and ASTM F 2413-05, Standard
Specification for Performance Requirements for Foot Protection.
= Canada = The Canadian Standards Association have
been using symbols on safety footwear for more than 30 years. Each shape &
color represents specific safety criteria for all safety footwear and
apparel purchased in Canada. Green Triangle with CSA symbol - Sole
puncture protection with a Grade 1 protective toe.
Yellow Triangle with registered symbol - Sole puncture protection with a Grade 2
protective toe. White rectangle with orange Greek letter
"Omega" & CSA symbol - Soles that provide electric shock resistance.
Yellow rectangle with green letters "SD", a grounding symbol & CSA symbol -
Capable of dissipating an electrostatic charge in a controlled manner.
Red rectangle with a black letter "C", grounding symbol & CSA symbol - Soles
that are electrically conductive White label with green fir tree symbol &
CSA symbol - Provides protection when using chainsaws.
Blue Square with CSA symbol - Grade 1 protective toe only.
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
alphanumerical 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 if the shoe has a steel-toe cap. "0" means there is
none. "1" means that there is, and it resists an impact of 125 joules. "2"
means that it resists an impact of 90 joules.
The second code indicates if 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 if 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. = Europe =
The International Organization for Standardization provides the European
standard 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 EN ISO 20346:2004 for
protective footwear & EN ISO 20347:2004 for Occupational Footwear
= 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 : JAS-ANZ ISO 9001:2000 Thailand : TIS 523-2011
= Australia / New Zealand = Australia : AS/NZS 2210.3:2009
Use as a weapon Steel-toe boots have been used in
assaults, such as the attack on Josie Lou Ratley, a Florida teenager.
Nightclubs and other entertainment venues frequently include a "no steel
toecaps" rule as part of their dress code to mitigate the possibility of
serious injury to other patrons if the wearer becomes violent. Use of bovver
boots in football hooliganism was countered by warnings to fans that they
would have to remove such boots in order to attend football matches.
See also Chainsaw safety clothing
Personal protective equipment Combat boot
Rigger boot Safety engineering
References