| On most construction sites and in many industrial | | | | Safety shoes with protective steel toe caps or |
| settings, protective footwear is more than a | | | | composite material reinforcement are available in |
| luxury - it's a necessity. As a matter of fact, the | | | | a variety of styles, and can chosen to fit in with |
| United States Department of Labor requires that | | | | most work environments, company cultures, and |
| employers take steps to ensure that workers are | | | | job titles. Wolverine, for example, offers a |
| protected from foot injuries. OSHA (Occupational | | | | steel-toe, static dissipating Oxford safety shoe |
| Safety and Health Administration) regulations | | | | that might be the shoe of choice for company |
| state that protective footwear is essential when | | | | executives or supervising engineers who wear |
| employees are working in areas where there is a | | | | business attire. The more casual styles of |
| danger of foot injuries due to falling or rolling | | | | protective boots and safety shoes can range |
| objects. Other working conditions under which | | | | from steel toe athletic shoes to waterproof |
| OSHA mandates protective footwear is when | | | | steel-toe logger boots. Many steel toe work shoes |
| there is a danger of foot injuries from sharp | | | | and boots are also electrical hazard rated - a |
| objects piercing the sole or where there is an | | | | necessary precaution in some work environments |
| exposure to electrical hazards. Safety standards | | | | against the risk of electrocution. Safety boots |
| have also been established for workers in Canada | | | | that are intended to provide protection against |
| and Europe. | | | | chain saws usually indicate that in some way, such |
| Whether you're looking for steel toe office shoes | | | | as displaying a symbol of a fir tree on the |
| or composite toe work boots, providing safety | | | | product. |
| footwear for yourself or your work crew will | | | | So whether you're shopping for steel toe boots, |
| greatly reduce the risk of avoidable injury in the | | | | safety shoes, or composite toe shoes, consider |
| workplace or out in the field. Hard plastics, such as | | | | footwear that features a puncture-resistant sole |
| thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), are also | | | | and an electrical hazard rating if your work |
| sometimes used as reinforcement in safety | | | | environment warrants those types of protections. |
| shoes. Steel toe boots and other types of safety | | | | If you order your safety shoes or work boots |
| shoes are available from a wide range of shoe | | | | over the Internet, make sure the online merchant |
| and boot manufacturers, including Carolina, | | | | has a customer-friendly return or exchange policy |
| Chippewa, Magnum, Skechers, Dunham, | | | | (in case there's a problem with fit). The major |
| Timberland, and Wolverine. Magnum safety shoes | | | | advantage of shopping for safety footwear on |
| and boots are geared to those in law | | | | the Internet is that you can go from one web |
| enforcement, the military, firefighters, and rescue | | | | store to the next without having to battle traffic, |
| personnel. For people who prefer the look of | | | | find a parking spot, or leave the comfort of your |
| running shoes, as opposed to safety shoes, | | | | home or office. If you're shopping for hard-to-find |
| Skechers makes a variety of steel-toe athletic | | | | sizes, conducting the search from your computer |
| shoes that provide the cushioning and construction | | | | can make your quest much less frustrating and |
| of a running shoe, while meeting federal ASTM | | | | more productive. |
| standards for protective footwear. | | | | |