In Canada workers do not have the choice to use non safety footwear in worksites where there are hazards to the feet. Safety boots and shoes are equiped with both steel toes and steel plates, and meet a standard similar to the ANSI ones. They sport identifying marks, a green triangle and an Omega cloth patch on the right boot of each pair. If you are injured on the job, and it is found out you were not wearing the prescribed PPE(personal protective equipment), including boots, watch out when the time comes to get any money out of Workman's Compensation.
There are a whole pile of excuses out there why people won't wear then including style (not so, they come in a huge number of styles, many not looking like work boots at all); the steel toe pinches (if it does you have the wrong size boot- fact most men wear boots too small, or should try on a number of types and sizes-one will fit); they are too cold in winter (a number of manufacturers offer toes made of ballistic plastic-thermatoe comes to mind); or they are a hazard around hydro wires (not true, boots here have to meet an 18000 volt insulating standard, and in any event of you ground out a hydro wire enough to put you under, it won't matter what was on your feet). Check out all the hydro guys around here-they wear steel toes.
Yes there is a lot of resistance out there to wearing them, I speak from personal experience while in the Forces. What it takes is a mandatory company safety policy which spells out what each worker will wear, and yes this includes bosses making site visits. Many companies here provide an annual boot allowance as additional incentive. But there will always be those that choose stupidity over common sence.
I can't imagine not wearing them in any industrial setting let alone in this industry. In fact the saw I use on a daily basis prescribes the use of eye, head, ear, leg and finally foot PPE.
