Had a job interview last week, & in the questionnaire I was filling out, it asked for clothes size & shoe size - company uniform. My question is: Has, or is anyone required to wear steel toecapped shoes for work, even though your feet are arthritic, is it a nightmare?
I can only wear Sketchers at the moment, so the thought of wearing steel toecapped shoes, shudders me. I trip over my feet as it is, wearing anything heavier, i'd be falling flat on my face! 😕
Once you've been offered the job you can discuss footwear with them, as perhaps there's a solution somewhere, and it can be part of the reasonable adjustments. After all arthritic feet are pretty common!
Maybe something like this?
I.d like to see them find steel toes for me .i.m a size 2. Ha ha.x
Size 2! I didn't even know that existed.....what lovely little feet you must have not like my plates of meat!
Nah .!! look like theyve been bound up when i was a baby.
Have to put insoles in boots
.now for r/a sore feet.
But had to do it anyway to make them fit.
Or wear school shoes all my life ha ha .xx
My daughter has size 1 it was funny when the shop assistant brought out the trainers that light up when she walked she is 44 but she can get sketchers that dont light up
Hi, I've had to wear steel toe capped boot's and apart from getting used to the weight they were fine. Plenty of room for the toes and as they were boots support for the ankles as well.
First time wearing them it was a bit like wearing deep sea diving boots, so you seem to step a bit higher at first because of the weight. I didn't bother with the court shoe's they make for women as I was working in all sorts of places and court shoes would have been unpractical for some conditions. Once your use to them they're fine just not very flattering if you're into fashion and how you look.
Mine saved my feet on many occasions and I'm glad, I still have all my toes.
You can also get steel toecap trainers which might be a better option
Ruthy if it's a job that requires steel toe cap shoes it is obviously for your safety & it may be a legal requirement that the company have to abide by.
So if you are offered the job you will have to have a word with HR to see if it can be got around,
Hope it all works out for you.
You might find that boots that rigid give you a lot of support and actually make things more comfortable not less! But worth discussing with an occupational therapist I would think for advice on your best type of footware that is protective and comfortable enough to wear all day.
Hi there, I wore steel caps for nearly 10 years and marched around on a concrete floor. My advice would be - make absolutely sure you get the right size and width. I always wore soft orthotics in mine - they helped my feet immensely. If your foot arthritis means your feet are quite wide at the ball of foot, then width is super important. I agree with the others, once you get used to the weight of the shoe/boot, they’re ok. Also, check and see if the newer toe caps are acceptable. In Australia, there are fibreglass and plastic caps that comply with Occupational Health and Safety guidelines - they are lighter to wear. These were approved at my workplace, which included the possibility of a forklift running over one’s toes! Good luck 
Hi I have bad feet and by law health and safety must wear steel toe caps around work so they got me one size bigger and soft trainers I am fine with them good luck
Hi there, yes i have to occasionally wear steel toe caps for my work, I had to pop them on for the first time in months a few weeks ago, they weren't too bad once on, they are a newish pair and not as comfy as my old ones but they were well worn in :-). The good thing these days, as there are more women coming into engineering/building etc, is that there are several different styles, trainer type ones and boots, they may be willing for you to go and get your own and you expense them, so that you can try them on ? It may be better for you to go a size bigger ? Screwfix usually have a stock of them so you could go to your local branch and try some on failing that, try a B&Q or local hardware store ? Otherwise, perhaps these employers have different styles and sizes you could try ??? Definitely worth trying on different styles to find the most comfy, and there are some great boots out there. Good luck with it all.
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