How to choose the best safety boots for you
What features do I need to consider?
Impact protection
Given that one of the most common accidents when working on a construction site is a falling heavy object, a pair of sturdy boots with steel toe-caps is a key consideration. Reinforced toe-caps are designed to protect the toes from a variety of impact and compression injuries. All reinforced toe-caps must conform to the European standard EN ISO 20345:2011 and be robust enough to protect the toes against a 200 joule impact.
Most work boots use steel for the toe-caps which provides the best protection at the expense of a little extra weight and reduced comfort in hot weather.
If the area you’re working in is suitable, you might also wish to consider boots fitted with lighter weight aluminium or even carbon fibre caps. Just be aware that aluminium and carbon fibre don’t provide the same level of crush protection as steel. And if you work in the electrical industry, composite toe-cap materials like carbon fibre or Kevlar are a good choice since both materials are nonconductive and nonmagnetic.
Slip resistance
If you work in construction, agriculture or manufacturing, it’s advisable to go for a pair of boots with slip-resistant soles. Though these are hard to distinguish from standard ones, they tend to have a softer type of tread that provides better traction on slippery surfaces. Most models will mention “slip resistance” in their specs.
Puncture resistance
Puncture-resistant midsoles are designed to protect the feet from puncture injuries caused by stray nails or screws. They are especially useful for workers in construction and agriculture where there’s an increased risk of stepping on sharp objects.
Water resistance
Given that most construction work often continues in wet conditions, waterproofness is of prime consideration. After all, chances are that any rainwater gathered on your clothing will soon make its way towards your feet, and you can bet that at some point you’ll slosh through a deep puddle of water.
What you need is a good quality full leather or “Action leather” model with a waterproof rating. The description should say “waterproof” and not just “water resistant” or some dampness may sneak in and ruin your day. Waterproof boots are also essential for working in agriculture, landscaping, forestry and land management.
Comfort
All the tech in the world means nothing if the boots you’re wearing are uncomfortable and clunky. Work boots should be comfortable to wear for very long periods and made of materials that breathe well and provide good arch support.
If possible, visit a shop to try on various different designs and walk around the shop for ten minutes – just as you would’ve done before online shopping became the norm.
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What size do I need?
It’s not always possible to try on boots these days, so as a rule of thumb it’s a good idea to order a half to a whole size bigger (than your normal size) to allow for thicker socks. If they turn out to be too big, return them and opt for a half or whole size smaller.
How we test safety boots
For this test, the writer had access to a new housing development he’s shooting for a promotional video. It was the perfect environment to test these boots in: the ground was uneven, muddy and wet.
The first step was to inspect the materials used in the boots. This included checking the upper material (leather, synthetic materials, etc) and the flexibility of the soles.
Fit and comfort is crucial for workers who wear safety boots for extended periods so we wore these boots for 30 minutes at a time and walked all over the site, including the roughest parts, to check each one’s ankle support and decide whether the soles flexed too much.
The next test involved impact resistance, so we dropped a hollowed breeze block and a standard brick on the front of the boot to see how well the toe-caps performed. Our tester is happy (and relieved) to report, they all passed with flying colours.
For the puncture-resistance test, we tentatively stepped on a small upturned nail to see if it would penetrate beyond the outer sole, but thankfully the steel plates fitted to all of these boots did the job they were designed for.
Our final test was to see how well their waterproofing properties performed with the help of a hosepipe. All except the models listed as just “water resistant” performed exceptionally well, especially the Wellingtons, which is hardly surprising.
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