With nearly 2,000 footwear styles to choose from, needless to say, we know a thing or two about footwear. One of the most common questions that continues to pop up for our blue-collar customers is the difference between steel and composite toe work boots.

If you've worked any kind of hands-on job you've probably had a pair of boots that you just wanted to throw out the window. As important as choosing a good pair of quality work boots is to your continued job performance, it shouldn't be tricky or confusing. Understanding what's available in safety toe footwear and how it functions in a particular work environment will help you know what you need and don't need and allow you to choose what's best for you.

Georgia Boot^® footwear is an excellent brand choice for your workplace safety shoes or boots and has been for almost 80 years. Holding true to their original objective to manufacture dependable, low-priced work footwear, Georgia Boot styles range from traditional work boots to industry-specific and farm and ranch styles.

Timberland PRO offers a wide selection of quality footwear that helps protect you against workplace hazards and accidents. Choices of Timberland PRO boots include steel toe boots, composite toe boots, metatarsal boots and much more.

Manufactured by the Weinbrenner Shoe Company since 1892, Thorogood Work Boots are quality men’s and women's work boots and shoes engineered and built for workplace safety and all-day comfort. A large number of styles are still proundly made in the USA.

If you are a computer techniciain or work in electronic component manufacturing, in a hospital or clean room, Static Dissipative (SD) shoes are recommended. Static electricity can be dangerous in these environments. It can damage the electronic chips that you're assembling or the equipment that you use to build the components. Static dissipative shoes are built in a way to help prevent sparks of static electricity from causing damage.

Rocky is and has been a world leader in occupational and outdoor footwear since 1932. A fast-growing devoted fan-base of the initial primarily outdoor hunting styles lead to Rocky's greater expansion into the occupational arena to fulfill their customer's all-around needs for a quality work boot. Today Rocky has taken the occupational market by storm with a wide variety of styles establishing it as an excellent brand to choose for all workplace needs.

What type of slip resistance are you seeking? One of the most frequently asked questions we receive is what would be considered our best footwear option for slip resistance.

A common question we have received through the years from safety managers and their employees is whether or not a particular style has a shank. More often than not we find the person is really seeking a steel plate.

Ladders come in all shapes and sizes; and much like safety boots, the proper equipment for the job is vital. If you’ve worked any hands-on profession long enough you’ve been on a ladder and you’ve probably experienced or witnessed a not-so-safe, scary moment with a co-worker or employee - maybe even a fall. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, ladder falls accounted for 30 percent of disabling workplace falls from a height in 2011. OSHA accounts that falls are a leading cause of death in construction every year and that falls from ladders make up nearly a third of those. So it’s important to know the major causes of most ladder falls and what you can do to help yourself and others avoid injury and stay safe when using any type of ladder.

Your work environment dictates that you and your employees need specific safety benefits in your work boots and it's time to go shopping. If you don't use an all-inclusive service like Lehigh CustomFit then you and they will head to the nearest store or start aimlessly searching online. What looks like the perfect pair will jump off the shelf or screen. But how can you tell if this style has everything needed and is required to have? There are several ways. Let's start with the obvious ones first.

Did you know that 50% of all puncture wounds involve the sole of the foot and 90% of those are caused by nails? If your work environment has potentially sharp objects laying on the ground – nails, glass, scrap metal, needles, etc. - then you and your employees may be required to wear puncture-resistant footwear. And even if you are not required, it's definitely a smart thing to do. Check out our infographic on why you should wear puncture-resistant footwear.

From Steel Toe to Puncture Resistant, Static Dissipative, Electical Hazard and so on, plus an abundance of comfort features; Safety footwear can have a lot of bells and whistles. Sifting through the saturation of brands, styles (hiker, wellington, 8-inch, etc.) and components and matching them up to your specific work conditions can be daunting. So where do you start and what do you need to consider?

What are the hazards of not keeping your feet dry? What's the difference when it comes to work boots and
the different protection levels? Waterproof. Water Resistant. Water Repellent. When do you need one versus
the other? Check out our infographic on why you need protection from wet feet and the work boot
protection levels that keep your feet dry.

The plantar fascia is the ligament that runs along the bottom of your foot and connects your heel bone to your toes. It's what supports the arch and protects the bottom of your feet. The important thing to keep in mind is the amount of support a shoe provides. It's helpful to rest the affected foot as much as possible.

Depending on the environment, type of work, and how you use your work boots, they could last anywhere from a a few months to a few years.