How to Choose the Best Type of Safety Footwear for Your Job



Without a doubt, each and every type of work has its own requirements, dress codes and rules for employers. While office workers and bank workers are required to wear suits and more of a business/corporate alike type of clothes and footwear, construction and engineering workers are in need of wearing PPE type of clothing and footwear. This is paramount for such workers as often times they can be exposed to some extremely dangerous situations.

When speaking about safety footwear as a part of the PPE (personal protective equipment), it goes without saying that their purpose is to protect workers feet from dangerous objects or surfaces. Generally speaking, when looking for safety work footwear, one needs to take into account several factors like the footwear's slip resistance properties, comfort and durability. Such footwear needs to have special toe protection, so when choosing ones, people should take into account all of the aforementioned things.


According to experts, safety boots have different levels of protection, so it's important for people to ensure their correct level of protection. This mainly depends on the potential hazards that are involved in order to ensure maximum protection. Usually, the injury risks that could happen are:

  • risk of puncturing the sole of sharp objects;
  • build-up of static electricity;
  • crush injuries that could happen from an impact of heavy objects;
  • extreme temperatures, etc.

That's why, experts recommend to take all of these things into account before choosing the right workwear shoes. Out of all these things, the most important one is to make sure that the chosen work footwear applies with the Australian safety standards. These days, one can choose from a plethora of different work footwear in order to meet the different task and employees' needs. When it comes to the types, safety footwear is available in many:

  • Safety Boots – Boots are one of the most common types of safety footwear mainly because of the incorporated toe-caps. These are designed for protecting the workers' toes from the exposure of some extremely heavy objects. Except for this, such boots can also include some other safety features like penetration-resistant mid-soles, slip-resistant soles and insulation against extreme temperatures like the exposure to extremely hot or cold temperatures. Generally speaking, just like any other type of boots, these can provide the user with greater stability because they are higher in height.
  • Safety Shoes – Just like boots, safety shoes also have a protective steel toe-caps but they are also available in a metal-free version. They are also known as composite footwear and are much lighter in weight than the steel versions.
  • Safety Trainers – Unlike the two previous models which can be bulkier (once again this depends on the model and manufacturer), safety trainers are more appealing. They look almost the same as any other casual type of trainers and depending on the purpose, some of them also have toe caps. Usually, in this case the toe cap is made of plastic so these shoes are also referred to as composite toe caps.
  • Clogs – Although it may be strange to some of you, some types of clogs are also considered as a safety type of footwear. Usually, these models are made of beech wood and can have steel toe-caps and thinner rubber soles to make the quieter when in use.



Whether you are a male or female, safety footwear is designed the same for all of you. Steel toe caps, heat-resistant mid-soles, slip-resistance and flexible soles, as well as oil repellent soles are some of the main features you should look in safety footwear. Except for this, you should also keep in mind that rougher outdoor areas require for the use of deeper and larger treads as the addition of special studs to provide extra traction.

Deciding on the Control Measures



Choosing safety footwear according to the environment is paramount. Taking into account the tasks and type of potential contaminants is also important in order to make the right choice. Nothing can be more beautiful and satisfying than feeling comfortable and well-protected when at work. So, if you are an employer, you should encourage your workers and others at the workplace to avoid trips, falls and slips. If not prepared or feeling incompetent for the job, here are some strategies that might help:

  • Give them advice related to the design features they need to look in their footwear. This is important so they could choose ones that are suited to their work tasks and environment.
  • Take into account the footwear policy, for instance, the one for slip-resistance and the need to clean and maintain the footwear.
  • You should remind them to dispose of or repair the footwear when the sole or tread is worn and damaged.
  • You should provide cleaning stations where contaminants can be removed from the tread.
  • You should also provide footwear guidance or requirements for workplace visitors and contractors.