Many people work in situations where damage to feet can easily happen. Feet injuries are usually thought of as being confined to those who work in hazardous environments, such as building sites, or in the forestry business. However, other seemingly-less dangerous occupations can also give rise to situations where foot injuries are likely. For this reason, there are many different safety boots now available, from those giving just basic protection, right through to boots designed to stop a chainsaw in its' tracks.

The development of composite materials has also hastened the development of safety shoes and boots. Whilst still widely used, steel toecaps are often replaced with man-made materials that offer just as much, often more, protection, but are lighter and more comfortable. Safety Shoes Workwear They also have the advantage for personnel working in secure environments, such as airports, as they don't trigger the security metal detectors. Many such environments now insist on non-steel toecaps for all staff needing safety boots.

Pricing on safety boots also varies considerably. Some of the traditional manufacturers have now moved into the fashion footwear arena in an effort to diversify. While the classic styles from these brands still sell well, there are numerous other minority brands that are on the market at a fraction of the cost, yet meet the certification required.

Health and safety legislation has also seen a large increase in the purchase of safety shoes with rules now affecting areas previously untouched by this. More and more staff in the workplace are having to wear some kind of safety shoe as part of their everyday workwear.

As safety boots have been traditionally seen as workwear, in the UK they are zero-rated for VAT meaning the price is often very competitive when compared to a non-safety version of a similar shoe.

The USA has a clear system in place for anyone looking for a pair of safety shoes, with different logos to determine what the footwear is designed for:-

A Fir Tree logo indicates the shoe provides protection against chain saws

A Red Square shows the shoes are electrically conductive

A White Square indicates the footwear provides electrical protection

Green Triangle - this indicates a class 1 toe cap with a puncture-resistant sole.

Yellow Triangle - Indicates a class 2 toe cap, again with a puncture-resistant sole.

A pair of safety shoes or boots needn't be a cumbersome piece of footwear. Many of the safety boots currently on the market are extremely comfortable and are often worn outside the workplace as a pair of fashionable shoes, in a less-hazardous environment.