Safety Footwear
What should I know about safety footwear?
If you are at risk for foot injury at your workplace, you should wear the appropriate protective
footwear.
If foot protection is required, set up a complete foot safety protection program including
selection, fit testing, training, maintenance and inspection.
Safety footwear is designed to protect feet against a wide variety of injuries. Impact,
compression, and puncture are the most common types of foot injury.
Choose footwear according to the hazard. Refer to CSA Standard Z195-02 "Protective
Footwear" (Reaffirmed 2007).
Select CSA-certified footwear. Ensure that it has the proper rating for the hazard and
the proper sole for the working conditions.
Use metatarsal protection (top of the foot between the toes and ankle) where there is a
potential for injury.
The OSH Answers section on Foot Comfort and Safety at Work has more information on foot
care and selection of protective footwear.
What should I know about the fit and care of safety footwear?
Fit:
Walk in new footwear to ensure it is comfortable.
Boots should have ample toe room (toes should be about 12.5 mm from the front)
Make allowances for extra socks or special arch supports when buying boots.
Boots should fit snugly around the heel and ankle when laced.
Lace up boots fully. High-cut boots provide support against ankle injury.
Care:
Use a protective coating to make footwear water-resistant.
Inspect footwear regularly for damage.
Repair or replace worn or defective footwear.
Electric shock resistance of footwear is greatly reduced by wet conditions and with
wear.
What symbols will be on the footwear?
The following symbols, or markings, will help you determine which footwear is appropriate for the
job.
Selection of Safety Footwear
Marking Criteria Use
Green triangle footwear has sole Any industrial or heavy work environment,
puncture protection with a Grade including construction, where sharp objects are
1 protective toe (withstand present (such as nails).
impact up to 125 joules).
Yellow triangle footwear has sole Light industrial work environments that need
puncture protection and Grade 2 both puncture and toe protection.
protective toe (withstand impact
up to 90 joules)
White rectangle with orange Any industrial environment where accidental
Greek letter "omega" footwear contact with live electrical conductors can occur.
has soles that provide electric (REMEMBER: Electric shock resistance is greatly
shock resistance. reduced by wet conditions and with wear)
Yellow Rectangle with green Any industrial environment where a static
letters "SD" and grounding discharge can be a hazard for workers or
symbol footwear has soles that equipment.
are static dissipative.
Red rectangle with black letter For any industrial environment where low-power
"C" and grounding symbol electrical charges can be a hazard for workers
footwear has soles that are or equipment.
electrically conductive.
White label with green fir tree For forestry workers and others who work with
symbol footwear provides or around hand-held chai,nsaws and other
protection when using chainsaws. cutting tools.
Note 1: The ® symbol indicates the preferred position for the identifying logo or mark or the
certifying agency.
Note 2: Labels are on the tongue of the right shoe at ankle height. They may also appear at
ankle height on the shoe itself (for electrical protection footwear)
From: "Z195.1-02 Guideline on Selection, Care and Use of Protective Footwear" , Canadian
Standards Association, 2002.
Will there be other markings?
Yes. An "internal protection code" is also required. This code will be permanently marked on
the outside or inside of at least one shoe/boot.
Protection Code
Position: 1 2 3 4 5
Mark: 1 P M E X
Position:
1 -- level of toe protection (1 for Grade 1, 2 for Grade 2, 0 for neither)
2 -- presence of puncture-resistant sole (P if present, 0 if not)
3 -- presence of metatarsal protection (M if present, 0 if not)
4 -- type of electrical protection (E if shock resistant, S if static dissipative, C if conductive, 0 if
no protection)
5 -- chainsaw protection (X if present, 0 if not)
From: "Z195.1-02 Guideline on Selection, Care and Use of Protective Footwear", Canadian
Standards Association, 2002.
