In safety consulting, we see all kinds of worksites and more and more, we're seeing safety shoes worn as much if not more than boots.

The cool thing is there are tons of great new safety shoes for women out that you actually may like wearing.

For the purposes of this article, we are going to focus the best safety shoes for women.

If you’d like to see boot styles, I suggest you check out this article here:

How we chose the best safety shoes for women.

The fun thing about doing a video on safety shoes versus boots, is overall the cost is much lower and the styles have more variety.

To be considered for this video, the shoes had to have a safety toe, a fun style, great reviews, and be built specifically for women.

We won’t go too deeply into the topic of women’s versus men’s shoes because we covered that in the previous boot video.

But let me just say, we didn’t include any shoes that market themselves as being for men and women because most of us who wear safety shoes are on our feet a lot and a shoe that is built with the wrong fit for a woman’s foot can result in pain in the feet, ankles, knees, hips, low back… basically, we just wouldn’t recommend it.

Women are in the workplace now, we have been since Rosie the Riveter and we’re here to stay so let’s get some shoes that fit!

 

For this article, we also weighed each shoe because that significantly impacts the comfort of all-day wear and often manufacturers don’t think to list it.

Just a disclaimer, this video is not sponsored, all these products were bought by Ally Safety, to make this list for you. So if you enjoy this type of content, please comment below so we know if we should keep doing women’s workwear reviews.

The Best Safety Shoes for Women

The Best "I didn't know that was a safety shoe, shoe."

 

The first time a friend of mine came into work with safety toe tennis shoes, she kept talking about how cool and light they were and all I could think was, “why is the toe so huge?” It turns out, it was because they had a composite toe.

These ones from Puma have a steel toe, making the toe closer to the size of an average sneaker.

I was surprised when I saw these Pumas because this is one of the first fun sneakers that I wouldn’t know was a safety shoe. Also, they have fun colors to choose from, making them feel less like the old, drab safety shoes.

 

Features:

• Steel toe cap
• Static dissipative
• Slip-resistant
• Heat resistant up to 300C/572F
• SAFETY KNIT® fabric fits like a sock
• Designed to keep your feet cool and dry
• Weight 1.08 pounds/shoe

 

 Most Unique Safety Shoes for Women

 

Okay, who would see these and think, "those are safety shoes". 

We were excited to come across these for this video because they’re just so different from anything else out there right now.

These were the most comfortable that we tried for this video.

Just one thing to note though, these are CSA approved which means they meet the Canadian Standards Association regulations, which for some employers may be an issue if they require ASTM safety shoes.

Features:

• Steel toe
• Electro-static dissipative
• Slip-resistant
• Removable insert with heel stabilizer
• CSA approved
• Weight 0.9 pounds/shoe

Most Stylish Safety Shoe for Women

A women's safety shoe article in 2020 is really incomplete without at least mentioning Xena Workwear.

The really cool thing about this company is that it’s owned by a woman who noticed the lack in great safety shoes for women and gets the struggle.

One thing to note with Xenas, is you do want to go about ½ size larger than you normally would as they tend to run small.

Features:

• Steel toe cap
• Slip resistant
• Oil and chemical resistant
• LWG certified leather
• 1.18 pounds/shoe
• Cost: $170

 You can find them here. 

 

The Best Hiking-Style Safety Shoe for Women

 

Keens are great because they offer the protection of a boot while being as comfortable as a hiking shoe.

They are one of the most versatile because they can go from construction jobs to hiking and even the office and be comfortable all along the line.

This model is even waterproof!

One thing to note, they tend to run ½ size too big so it’s best to order down just slightly.

Keen also has the asymmetrical toe cap which is a unique feature that gives them a more comfortable toe box because it’s fit separately for the left and right.

 Features:

• Steel toe cap
• Left and Right asymmetrical steel toe
• Electrical hazard resistant
• Keen.Key-tech flex®
• Weight 1.4 pounds/boot

 

 

Best Retro Women's Safety Shoe

 

 

These are from Caterpillar and they are one of the most fun women's safety shoe styles we've seen.

Naturally, being from Caterpillar, they also have all the safety features you need in a shoe and a small enough toe box that you’re not going to know it’s a safety shoe.

Features:

• Steel toe
• Electrical hazard protection
• Slip resistant
• ERGO Technology for comfort
• High breathability
• Weight 1.0 pounds/shoe

 

Best Alloy Toe Women's Safety Shoe

 

This is another model that can go easily from the office to the field and also has the added benefit of being a bit more lightweight than the others due to having an alloy toe.

These Timberlands® are almost like a clog, has versatility, and won’t look clunky with skinny jeans.

Features:

• Alloy toe cap
• ESD
• Anti-fatigue food beds
• Slip-resistant
• Heat resistant to 248F, 120C
• Weight 1.06 pounds/shoe

 

 

Best Lightweight Women's Safety Shoe 

These shoes from Reebok are great because they look just about like any other tennis shoe on the market, aren’t too loud, but are really comfortable.

You will notice they have a slightly bigger toe than some of the others but that’s because the toe is composite rather than steel, meaning it’s lighter.

There’s always a trade-off and these ones do deliver because the toe isn’t noticeably bigger and they are the lightest shoe on the list at 0.75 pounds.

Features:

• Composite toe
• Electrical hazard protection
• Slip-resistant
• Metal-free
• Extremely light weight
• MemoryTech® footbed
• Weight 0.75 pounds/shoe

 

So, that’s our list of the best safety shoes for women.

Which ones are your favorites? What great options did we miss?

Let us know in the comments below.

Hopefully, this video helps you if you have that company stipend and are looking for a new pair of safety shoes for the year.