Personal Protective Equipment - Foot Protection

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is an essential safety component of a worker tasks when there is likelihood that an individual may become injured as a result of an exposure to physical, chemical, electrical or biological hazards. PPE is designed to protect the employee from potential harm and is required by workplace legislation.


Employers must educate and train workers in the proper use of foot protection, and ensure all foot protection is worn and is properly maintained.

Personal protective equipment (PPE), including footwear, is the last means of protection by ensuring:

  • the hazard is controlled at the source and employees know PPE is a secondary means of protection.
  • all employees have a full understanding for the need, proper care and use of protective footwear.
  • footwear is properly fitted for each employee.
  • that the use of footwear is consistently enforced at all times on a project

Employers are responsible to make sure workers wear protective footwear at all times on projects. All safety shoes or safety boots must have:

  • a box toe that will capable of resisting at least 125 joules impact and
  • a sole or insole that will protect puncture and is capable of resisting a penetration load of 1.2 kilonewtons when tested with a Deutsche Industrie (DIN) standard pin.

Construction Projects
O. Reg. 213/91

Part II GENERAL CONSTRUCTION

Section 21 Protective Clothing, Equipment and Devices

21. (1) A worker shall wear such protective clothing and use such personal protective equipment or devices as are necessary to protect the worker against the hazards to which the worker may be exposed.

(2) A worker's employer shall require the worker to comply with subsection (1).

(3) A worker required to wear protective clothing or use personal protective equipment or devices shall be adequately instructed and trained in the care and use of the clothing, equipment or device before wearing or using it.

Section 23

23. (1) Every worker shall wear protective footwear at all times when on a project.

(2) Protective footwear shall be a safety shoe or safety boot,

(a) with a box toe that is adequate to protect the wearer's toes against injury due to impact and is capable of resisting at least 125 joules impact; and

(b) with a sole or insole that is adequate to protect the wearer's feet against injury due to puncture and is capable of resisting a penetration load of 1.2 kilonewtons when tested with a Deutsche Industrie Norm standard pin.

[O. Reg. 345/15, s. 3]