Safety shoes are specifically designed to protect workers’ feet and are commonly used in workplaces like construction sites and factory workshops where foot protection is required.

### Functions of Safety Shoes
The main function of anti – impact safety shoes is to prevent falling objects from injuring the feet. Their toe caps are made of impact – resistant materials, which can effectively withstand the impact of heavy objects.

### Types of Safety Shoes
There is a wide variety of safety shoes. They include toe – protecting shoes, puncture – preventing shoes, insulating shoes, and acid – and alkali – resistant shoes. Each type serves a different safety purpose, catering to various working environments.

### Selection of Safety Shoes
When selecting safety shoes, it is essential to base the choice on the nature and degree of hazards in the working environment. For jobs where toes are more likely to be smashed or crushed and the injury is more serious, high – level safety labor protection shoes with high technical indicators of front – end pressure resistance and impact resistance should be selected as they provide better protection for toes. However, high – level safety shoes are often expensive, bulky to wear, and have poor comfort. So, for jobs where toes may be smashed or crushed but the injury is unlikely to be serious, low – level labor protection shoes can be a more suitable option. Also, safety shoes should come with a product certificate and an instruction manual. Before use, one should read the manual according to the usage conditions and use them correctly. For special protective safety shoes, it is necessary to check and keep them clean after use and store them in a pollution – free and dry place.

### Development of Safety Shoes
As the emphasis on labor safety increased, people started to make some rudimentary improvements to shoes. For example, they wrapped a layer of iron sheet around the shoe toe to resist the impact of heavy objects and used thicker leather to make the upper to enhance wear – resistance. Although these early attempts were basic, they laid the foundation for the development of modern labor protection shoes.

In conclusion, understanding the functions, types, selection criteria, and development of safety shoes is crucial for ensuring workers’ foot safety in different work environments.

Keywords: safety shoes, functions, types, selection, development