Safety Toe Boots and Shoes

Having the proper footwear for any occupation is extremely important. Proper shoes and boots not only keep feet comfortable, but protect feet against a variety of workplace hazards. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) have performance requirements for foot protection; and in order to meet ASTM F2413-05 standards, footwear must meet design, performance, testing, and classification requirements that fully support the shoe or boot in protecting the wearer from a variety of workplace hazards that can potentially result in injury.

A composite toe meets the same safety requirements as steel toe footwear and offers the same protection, however this type of work shoe is non-metallic, and non-magnetic (good for those in workplaces with a metal detector; such as an airport, nuclear plant, or working as security personnel). A composite toe shoe is also a few grams lighter than a steel toe. Other features includes impact (I-75) and compression resistance (C/75) in toe, metatarsal protection (top of foot), chainsaw resistance, conductive properties to reduce hazards such as static electricity buildup, ignition of explosives and volatile chemicals, and electric shock resistance. Footwear must also be constructed with static dissipative (SD), outsole must have puncture resistance, and dielectric insulation.