Steel-toe boot

A steel-toe boot is a durable boot or shoe that has a protective reinforcement in the toe which protects the foot from falling objects or compression. Safety shoes are effective in keeping the feet of industrial workers safe from sharp and heavy objects while working in factories.
Safety footwear now comes in many styles, including sneakers, clogs, and dress shoes. Some are quite formal, for supervising engineers who must visit sites where protective footwear is mandatory.
Some brands of steel-toe footwear have become fashionable within subcultures such as skinhead, punk, and rivethead. While brands that were previously renowned within the fashion industry have also diversified into the safety footwear market, industrial brands like Caterpillar, Rock Fall and JCB have also issued licenses to produce safety footwear.

History

An early approach to safety shoes is the suggestion of several late medieval authors of military manuals - such as Konrad Kyeser in his bellifortis, suggesting iron soles for protection against foot traps and caltrops in their manuscripts.

Safety boot

Safety boots are used by tradespeople to protect from environmental hazards at a jobsite. They may also be used for outdoor recreational activities or sports such as off-roading, overlanding or woodchopping. Common protections include steel/reinforced toe, metatarsal guard, penetration-resistant, electrical hazard, chemical resistance and waterproofing. Modern safety boots are usually laced with a vertical side zipper under a hook-and-loop strap. Chainsaw boots resist cutting, foundry boots resist high temperatures and molten metal, SR boots resist slips and falls.

Safety criteria

Asia

Safety shoe standards in Asia are:

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: IS 15298-I: 2011 test methods, IS 15298–II for safety footwear, IS 15298-III Protective footwear, IS 15298-IV Occupational Footwear
Thailand: TIS 523-2011
Europe

The International Organization for Standardization provides the European standard for safety footwear. The current one is ISO 20345:2011 - previously ISO 20345:2004.
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
Steel toe	200 joule toecap protection. Closed seat region. Antistatic properties. Energy absorption of seat region. Fuel resistance.	S1
Steel toe	200 joule toecap protection. Closed seat region. Antistatic properties. Energy absorption of seat region. Fuel resistance. Water penetration and water absorption resistance.	S2
Steel toe	200 joule toecap protection. Closed seat region. Antistatic properties. Energy absorption of seat region. Fuel resistance. Water penetration and water absorption resistance. Sole penetration resistance. Cleated outsole.	S3
Additional protections	Heat-Resistant Outsole: shoe sole resistance to hot contact up to 300 °C for 1 minute	HRO
Additional protections	Penetration resistance offered by a steel midsole: 1100 newtons	P
Additional protections	Heel energy absorption: 20 joules	E
Additional protections	Water penetration-resistant uppers	WRU
Additional protections	Whole shoe waterproof	WR
Additional protections	Metatarsal protection	M
Additional protections	Ankle protection	AN
Electrical resistance	Conductive: Maximum resistance 100 kΩ	O
Electrical resistance	Antistatic: Range of 100 kΩ to 1000 MΩ	A
Hostile environments	Cold Insulated: shoe insulated against cold to -17 °C for 30 minutes	CI
Hostile environments	Heat Insulated: shoe insulated against heat up to 150 °C for 30 minutes	HI
Hostile environments	Skid resistance on ceramic tile floors with sodium lauryl sulfate solution cleaning agent	SRA
Hostile environments	Skid resistance on steel floors with glycerine	SRB
Hostile environments	Skid resistance on ceramic tile floors with cleaning agent and steel floors with glycerine	SRC
Hostile environments	Fuel resistance	FO
Hostile environments	Cut resistance	CR
Hostile environments	-	-

There is also Previous EN ISO 20346:2004 and Now the latest one is EN ISO 20346:2021 for protective footwear & EN ISO 20347:2004 for Occupational Footwear

North America

Canada

In Canada, the most common standards used by employers are those of the CSA Group, published in CSA standard Z195. These standards are similar to the ASTM International standards commonly used in the United States but the testing methods do vary.
CSA standards on shoe labels feature distinct shapes and colors, represents specific safety criteria for all safety footwear and apparel:

Green triangle with registered symbol - Sole puncture protection with a Grade 1 protective toe.
Yellow triangle with registered symbol - Sole puncture protection with a Grade 2 protective toe.
White rectangle with orange Greek letter omega and registered symbol - Soles that provide electric shock resistance, with Ω being the symbol for ohms of electrical resistance.
Yellow rectangle with green letters "SD", a grounding symbol and registered symbol - Capable of dissipating an electrostatic charge in a controlled manner.
Red rectangle with a black letter C, grounding symbol and registered symbol - Soles that are electrically conductive.
White label with green fir tree symbol and registered symbol - Provides protection when using chainsaws.
Blue Square with registered symbol - Grade 1 protective toe only.

The registered symbol in each of the CSA Z195 protective footwear markings is a registered identifying logo or mark of the certifying agency. Examples of organizations that certify footwear to this standard include the Safety Equipment Institute, the CSA Group, and UL Solutions.
Generally, a safety shoe is a shoe that follows at least one of five criteria. The criteria that a safety shoe adheres to can be found by looking for the CSA alphanumeric 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 whether the shoe has a steel-toe cap. "0" means there is none. "1" means that there is, and it resists an impact of 125 joules. "2" means that it resists an impact of 90 joules.
The second code indicates whether 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 whether 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.
United States

In the United States, the most common standards used by employers for protective footwear are ASTM International standards F2412-18a and ASTM F2413-18.
OSHA previously required compliance of ANSI Z41.1-1991, "American National Standard for Personal Protection-Protective Footwear," if purchased after July 5, 1994, or ANSI standard "USA Standard for Men's Safety-Toe Footwear," Z41.1-1967, if purchased before that date.
As of March 1, 2005, ANSI Z41 has been replaced by ASTM F2412 and ASTM F2413.
ASTM certified footwear must include a label that indicates which safety standards that particular footwear meets. The various safety standards include:

I - Impact
C - Compression
Mt - Metatarsal
Cd - Conductive
EH - Electrical Hazard
SD - Static Dissipating
PR - Puncture Resistant
Oceania
Australia: AS 2210.3:2019
New Zealand: NZS 2210.3:2009