Steel toe boots are one of the toughest work boots there is for your protection in a dangerous work environment. It may be required by OSHA, and your workplace may require that all employees wear steel-toed boots for safety.
This is true in industries where workers are exposed to hazards including falling objects, things that could pierce through a shoe’s sole, or electrical hazards.
Usually, a regular work boot without a steel toe feature can withstand upto 1200 pounds of weight, but a steel toe boot has an ASTM 75 pound-foot compression resistance rating. In simple words, this implies it can withstand compression up to 2,500 pounds. Steel toe boots can withstand weight as much as 6000 pounds, and anything beyond that might crush the steel toe boot, causing it to lose its structure and most critical safety feature.
Foot injuries are a typical issue in the workplace. Ruptures, cuts and bruises, sprains, fractures, and slips are just a few of the many types of dangers you have to deal with on a daily basis.
So having a safety work boot reduces your chance of these injuries and ensures your safety so that you can devote all your attention to your work.
So why should you wear steel toe boots?
Here we bring to you various reasons as to why steel toe work boots are the perfect choice for you.
1.) To keep your toes intact
Toes are an important aspect of your feet as it assists you in walking, running, jumping and to balance.
And come on, let’s accept that without toes, life would be tough as regular, daily chores would seem hard.
Therefore, wearing steel toe boots is the greatest method to ensure that all 10 of these vital limbs remain intact.
2.) Steel toe boots are OSHA approved
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) mandates certain standards to be met for the safety and healthy working conditions of workers and laborers.
If your company demands steel-toed boots and you don’t have them, you may be sent home from work.
Compression resistance of 75 foot-pounds is required by ASTM for all safety work boots, and this data appears to be acceptable to OSHA.
3.) Safety from falling objects
If you work in construction, you’re constantly at risk of being hit by falling blocks, stones, logs, or heavy industrial machinery. Steel toe boots protect your toes from being crushed by such objects.
You should safeguard your toes the same way you protect your head from falling things. Many steel-toed boots can sustain up to 75 pounds of falling pressure from up to 9 feet away.
4.) They’re comfortable
Steel toe boots are commonly misunderstood to be uncomfortable. You can be safe and comfortable at the same time. Long periods of standing on hard floors and surfaces can cause discomfort, which can be alleviated with the use of steel toe boots.
These boots, believe it or not, give additional support and comfort, which can improve overall comfort levels while standing for lengthy periods of time.
There are a number of techniques to improve the comfort of your feet while also protecting them. Make sure you have the correct shoe size, that your boots are long enough so that they go well past your ankles, and that you wear socks designed for steel-toed boots.
5.) Keeps your feet protected
Steel-toed boots protect against a variety of injuries, not just those caused by falling objects. Slips and falls, cuts/lacerations and burns, and punctures can all be avoided with them. It is more difficult for injuries like these to occur when you wear a strong safety boot.
6.) They’re super durable
Steel-toed shoes are designed to last for long. A good quality boot is similar to a loyal companion. They accompany you wherever you need to work.
They can withstand a lot of abuse and still work and look good. Look no farther than the steel toe boot if you’re seeking for a good pair of safety boots that won’t let you down.
7.) They’re not just limited to your workplace
Steel toe footwear has evolved significantly during the last two decades. The iconic heavy black boot comes to mind when you think about steel-toed footwear.
However, times have changed, as has the manufacturing design for these work boots. There are many various styles and varieties to choose from to meet your needs.
What makes these steel toe boots safe?
To understand what makes steel toe boots so strong and durable, we need to understand something about the material used in it, that is iron. It is made with a modified type of iron that has been combined with a few chemicals.
Alloy toe boots are those that have other metallic toes, such as titanium or aluminium. But here’s the interesting part, when we talk about steel in scientific terms, it’s actually an alloy.
A fun fact about steel is that it contains roughly 2% carbon as a hardening agent. There are some composite toes, nanotech toes, and carbon composite toes, but none of them can ever be compared to steel toes, yet they all belong under the safety toe shoe category.
Okay, we have proof of how strong a steel toe cap might be. A youtube channel by the name ‘Waterjet Channel’ came up with an episode ‘Random Machine Shop Experiments- Steel Toe Vs Car’ in which they conducted various tests on a steel toe boot.
1st test- a hammer smashed against a steel toe boot that was worn by a person to see if they can feel anything.
Result– the person wearing the boot did feel slight vibrations but that’s it. It also did not harm the leather outside.
2nd test- cinder blocks thrown from a few feet above the foot.
Result- it did a little bit of damage to the leather but no harm to the toes.
3rd test- a truck passing through the steel toe boot.
1st attempt- nothing extraordinary happened and the boot was normal without any harm to the toes of the person.
Therefore in the 2nd attempt, they decided to stop the tyre on top of the steel toe cap for sometime.
Result- It tore the leather out but no harm to the toes.
4th test- Okay, so for this test they did not want a person to experiment with and therefore they substituted toes with sausages. They made use of Press Brake (a machine used for crushing metals and pounding them into metal sheets).
Lets see the results- It did cut the leather significantly, and finally it did crush the steel toe cap and the sausages inside were scrambled badly.
Steel toe in comparison with Composite toe and Alloy toe cap
As we all know that steel toe boots can withstand weight upto 6000 pounds which is impressive. It is the most reliable toe cap there is. But let us see how much weight a composite toe cap and alloy toe cap can withhold.
A composite toe cap can withhold almost 1.1 metric tonnes of weight, that is 1100 kilograms whereas an Alloy toe cap can withhold 2500 pounds of weight which is 1133 kilograms, which clearly shows that alloy is a better preference than composite toe. But still, nothing beats the strength and resistance of a steel toe cap.
Who should use steel toe boots?
Steel toe boots are often made keeping in mind the construction workers and the kind of environment they work in.
Even though they’re called construction work boots, they’re not just for the job site. You’ll be surprised how many times we can all use these boots. Here are few cases where a steel toe boot might be an ideal pair of footwear:
→ If our jobs compel us to wear them, we must do so. We may be working in a manufacturing or production plant and require these boots to protect our feet from damage.
→ Steel toe boots are necessary if a work environment poses a danger of foot injuries owing to falling, rolling, or piercing objects.
→ Steel toe boots mostly come with rubber soles that make them perfect to work in slippery, uneven terrain.
→ Some hikers choose steel toe boots because in the wild sometimes, you might encounter some poisonous snakes and other reptiles/animals. You can be assured of your safety as they can never pierce through your steel toe boots.
Some disadvantages of steel toe boots:
1.) Steel toe boots are typically heavier than regular work boots by nature of their construction. A steel toe boot weighs around 4.5 pounds whereas a regular work boot weighs around 3 pounds.
2.) Due to their metal design, they may feel uncomfortable on your feet in extremely hot or cold climates.
3.) Given how heavy and uncomfortable these boots may get, they’re not the best choice if you’re spending long hours in hot and humid situations.
Conclusion
Steel toe boots are a perfect work boot no doubt, but it comes with its own limitations. However, in terms of strength and power, it is the best in its field, and if the right precautions are taken, then your steel toe boot will be your forever companion.
You need to understand your work culture and then carefully read the safety/protective features of the boots before purchasing.
