1- Safety footwear must be adapted to the type of activity to be carried out. It has to protect the worker’s feet in a very effective way, but it also has to be comfortable since it will be worn for many hours, usually the entire working day.

The requirements that a firefighter needs in his shoes are not the same, who may need details such as the flame retardant cord, or a worker who handles heavy pieces and who needs his footwear to have a reinforcement that protects his foot in case a of these pieces falls on it.

2- It must be breathable. It is very important that the shoe offers perspiration so that the foot is dry on the inside. Otherwise all kinds of problems can appear, the most common being the bad smell but also others such as fungi that can affect both the skin and the nails and that are very difficult to eliminate once they have made their appearance. Fungi are also contagious. A major problem when sharing changing room or shower spaces.

3- It is essential that it be as light as possible. Although it has reinforcements and is a very specific footwear, it is important that these types of shoes are as light as possible. When a shoe is heavy, the foot gets tired and ends up loading the joints, so problems such as inflammation, foot pain or excessive fatigue can appear.

4- They must have a good last. This is a characteristic of quality footwear. Taking into account the number of hours that they are going to wear, it is very important that they fit well to the foot and that they are comfortable. For that, not only a diversity of numbers must be offered, but also different widths and even male and female lasts since men’s and women’s feet have different characteristics.

5- In some cases, they will need approvals. If approved footwear is required, it must have the necessary certifications to be used for the specific activity in which this type of footwear is required.

Safety footwear is part of work clothing and it is the employer who must provide it to the worker. It is the worker’s obligation to keep it correctly and use it whenever necessary in the performance of their work.