Compliance guide · Safety footwear
Like hi-vis, safety footwear has no act of parliament to its name — and the same stronger thing instead: where a risk assessment finds foot hazards (dropped loads, punctures, crush), suitable safety footwear becomes required PPE that the employer provides free. From there, the practical questions are about edges.
The logic
The core position: where risks to feet can't be eliminated — falling materials, punctures underfoot, crush from wheels and plant — the PPE regulations make suitable safety footwear (EN ISO 20345) required PPE, provided and paid for by the employer. The who-pays rules are blunt: charging workers for required PPE, or docking it from wages, isn't lawful.
The edges people actually ask about: Sites can — and do — require safety boots for entry even where a task-level argument might not, because a blanket rule is easier to run than a per-visitor assessment; that's contract and access, and it's binding in practice. Refusal: an employee who won't wear provided safety footwear is breaching their own statutory duty, and employers can treat it as a disciplinary matter — the well-worn tribunal ground is that safety rules survive comfort objections where the risk is real (medical issues are handled through alternatives like orthopaedic-compatible footwear, not exemption by default). Office visitors walking a marked route generally don't need boots; step onto the floor proper and the site rule applies. The 2022 label changes (S1PS/S1PL and friends) changed codes, not duties.
Quick answers
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Can I be charged for required boots? | No — required PPE is free, deposits and deductions included |
| Can a site insist even for a short visit? | Yes — entry conditions can exceed the legal minimum |
| Can I wear my own boots? | If the employer verifies they meet the required spec — many insist on issued kit for that reason |
| What if boots hurt? | Fit and alternatives are the employer's problem to solve — not a reason to go unprotected |
| Self-employed? | Where the law applies to your work's risks, you provide your own compliant kit |
Questions
Where the risk assessment identifies foot hazards requiring PPE, yes — suitable safety footwear provided free of charge, replaced when worn out. That covers most construction, warehouse, manufacturing and yard roles. The employer can specify exactly which spec (S1P, S3 and so on) the assessment demands.
Not usefully — employees have their own legal duty to use provided PPE, and refusal where the risk is real is a disciplinary matter that tribunals have consistently upheld. Genuine fit or medical problems are addressed through alternative compliant footwear, which employers should engage with.
On most sites, yes beyond reception or marked walkways — blanket entry rules are standard because per-visitor assessment isn't practical. Many sites keep visitor boots; regular visitors are better served owning a pair that fits.
Whatever the risk assessment says the team needs, it's stocked, certified and priced for volume.