Steel-toe boots - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

A steel-toe boot is a durable boot

Boot

A boot is a type of footwear but they are not shoes. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle and extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearly distinguishable from the rest of the sole, even if the two are made of one piece....

or shoe

Shoe

A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot while doing various activities. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture to culture, with appearance originally being tied to function...

that has a protective reinforcement in the toe

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; unguligrade animals are those that walk on hooves at the tips of...

which protects the foot from falling objects or compression, usually it is combined with a mid sole plate to protect against punctures from below.

Although traditionally made of steel

Steel

Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...

, the reinforcement can also be made of a composite material

Composite material

Composite materials, often shortened to composites or called composition materials, are engineered or naturally occurring materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties which remain separate and distinct at the macroscopic or...

, a plastic such as thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) or even Aluminum. Steel-toe boots are important in the construction

Construction

In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...

industry and in many industrial settings. Occupational safety and health

Occupational safety and health

Occupational safety and health is a cross-disciplinary area concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment. The goal of all occupational safety and health programs is to foster a safe work environment...

legislation or insurance

Insurance

In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...

requirements may require the use of such boots in some settings, and may mandate certification

Product certification

Product certification or product qualification is the process of verifying that a certain product has passed performance tests and quality assurance tests or qualification requirements stipulated in contracts, regulations, or specifications...

of such boots and the display of such certification directly on the boots. In Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, certified boots have a Canadian Standards Association

Canadian Standards Association

The Canadian Standards Association, also known as the CSA, is a not-for-profit Standards organization with the stated aim of developing standards for use in 57 different areas of specialisation...

green triangle

Triangle

A triangle is one of the basic shapes of geometry: a polygon with three corners or vertices and three sides or edges which are line segments. A triangle with vertices A, B, and C is denoted ....

on them.

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, particularly Dr. Martens

Dr. Martens

Dr. Martens is a traditional British footwear brand, which also makes a range of accessories – shoe care products, clothing, luggage, etc. In addition to Dr. Martens, they are known as Doctor Martens, Doc Martens, Docs or DMs...

and Grinders

Grinders (footwear)

Grinders is a footwear line established in 1965 in the United Kingdom. Famous for their air cushion sole and leather footwear for both men and women, Grinders have become one of the leading "Street Fashion Footwear" brands from the United Kingdom. Utilising some of the best craftsmen in England,...

, have become fashionable within subculture

Subculture

In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong.- Definition :...

s such as skinhead

Skinhead

A skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world. Named for their close-cropped or shaven heads, the first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian rude boys and British mods,...

, punk

Punk fashion

Punk fashion is the clothing, hairstyles, cosmetics, jewelry, and body modifications of the punk subculture. Punk fashion varies widely, ranging from Vivienne Westwood designs to styles modeled on bands like The Exploited. The distinct social dress of other subcultures and art movements, including...

, and rivethead

Rivethead

Rivethead can mean:* The head of a rivet* Formerly, since the 1940s, a nickname for American automotive assembly line workers* A fashion style, as described here----...

. Brands that were previously renowned within the fashion industry also diversified into the safety footwear market, Dunlop and Puma to name a few. But also industrial brands like Caterpillar, Michelin and JCB have given out licenses to produce safety footwear.

United States

Most safety shoes have symbols on the outside, to indicate the protection 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 (with ohm symbol) indicates electrical protection.
Yellow Square(with SD) indicates anti-static protection.
Red Square(with C) indicates electrically conductive.
Fir Tree indicates protection against chain-saws.

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

American National Standards Institute

The American National Standards Institute is a private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States. The organization also coordinates U.S. standards with international...

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

If purchased before July 5, 1994, ANSI

American National Standards Institute

standard "USA Standard for Men's Safety-Toe Footwear," Z41.1-1967.

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 (CSA) have been using symbols on safety footwear for a total of 13.5 years. Each shape & color represents specific safety criteria for all safety footwear and apearal purchased in Canada. (A useful chart is available on-line describing the CSA symbols)

Green Triangle with CSA 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" & CSA symbol - Soles that provide electric shock resistance. (Any industrial environment where live electrical conductors can occur)
Yellow rectangle with green letters "SD", a grounding symbol & CSA symbol - Capable of dissipating an electrostatic 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 & CSA symbol - Soles that are electrically conductive (Any industrial environment where low-lower electrical charges can be a hazard for workers or equipment)
White label with green fir tree symbol & CSA symbol - Provides protection when using chainsaws. (Forestry workers & others required to use a chainsaw)
Blue Square with CSA symbol - Grade 1 protective toe only. (For all other environments not listed above)

Generally, a safety shoe is a shoe that follows at least one of five criterion. The criteria that a safety shoe adheres to can be found by looking for the CSA (Canadian Standards Association) 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 (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 m above). "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

International Organization for Standardization

The International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO, is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on February 23, 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial...

provides the European standard for Safety footwear. The current one is ISO 20345: 2004 - previously BS EN 345-1:1993..

The codes applicable to European safety footwear are:

Protected Area	Type of Protection	Code
Steel Toe	Basic Impact 200 joules including compression 15,000 newtons	SB
	200 joule toecap protection. Closed seat region (fully enclosed heel). Antistatic properties. Energy absorption of seat region.	S1
	200 joule toecap protection. Closed seat region (fully enclosed heel). Antistatic properties. Energy absorption of seat region. Water penetration and water absorption resistance.	S2
	200 joule toecap protection. Closed seat region (fully enclosed heel). Antistatic properties. Energy absorption of seat region. Water penetration and water absorption resistance. Sole penetration resistance. Cleated outsole.	S3
Additional protections	Outsole resistance to hot contact: up to 300 °C	HRO
	Penetration resistance offered by a steel midsole: 1100 newtons	P
	Heel energy absorption: 20 joules	E
	Water penetration-resistant uppers	WRU
Electrical resistance	Conductive: Maximum resistance 100 kΩ	O
Electrical resistance	Antistatic: Range of 100 kΩ to 1000 MΩ	A
Hostile environments	Insulation against cold	CI
Hostile environments	Insulation against heat	HI

There is also EN ISO 20346:2004 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 anti static and/or slip resistant properties. This standard does not require a protective toe cap)

Asia

Safety shoe standards in Asia are :

Australia : AS/NZS 2210.3:2009
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

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.

United States

Canada

Europe

Asia

Use as a weapon

See also