We have plenty of safety shoe manafacturers in Australia but my
company seems intent on  being supplied by one or two companies who
favour safety shoes of a traditional flat sole and black leather.
However I see from a couple of people I have met ex-Canada/ex-USA that
in North America there is companies who manafacture shoes that 
appearance-wise look  very much like a Nike or s normal sports or
running shoe with comfort factors similar to such sports shoes and
therefore well above that of the current safety show we are used to
here.
 Such shoes have the "trademark" deep corrugated rubber tread of the
Nike -type shoe, the outer appearance of same and of the same material
etc etc.
 Can someone supply me with the brands or ideally the websites of at
least a couple of the manafacturuers of such shoes. I have one brand
name already being "DAKOTA" but I fully expect  this is not the only
such company.

 Thanking you,

 john From Melbourne

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Clarification of Question by johnfrommelbourne-ga on 29 Sep 2004 05:52 PDT

I was hoping to get three or four addresses or websites if I could
actually, but perhaps I have erred by implying only within North
America should one seek such suppliers. Of course I would be happy to
look at wesites or info on such product from any part of the world. In
any case I suspect that shoes could be made in China or Taiwan no
matter where the company's website is based!!

---

Clarification of Question by johnfrommelbourne-ga on 29 Sep 2004 10:20 PDT

Thanks commenter, I will just go in and take a look at that site now.
....................and thanks to person having a go at more
comprehensive  response. I am not after a lot of info at all
necessarily,  but I do necessarily want the type of shoes I wrote
about in question; i.e not interested in other types at all.

 JFM

---

Clarification of Question by johnfrommelbourne-ga on 29 Sep 2004 10:24 PDT

Sorry to interrupt again but just to be sure we understand each other,
by implication any such shoe would necesarily be steel-capped.

 Thats it, wont bother you again unless you ask me something

Hi John:

Athletic-style safety shoes are popular here in North America, primary
with young workers in the delivery and warehousing fields. Guess not
everybody likes the construction worker look.

My personal favorite brand of safety shoes (I've owned quite a few
pairs of their shoes over the years) is Terra. Their home (Canadian)
website is:

http://www.terrafootwear.com/EnglishVersion/Home/Home.html

and their UK website (with fancier product overviews) is at:

http://www.terraboots.com/marathon.html

Not sure if you can easily obtain there from Australia, but if you or
anyone you know is making a trip to N.America or Europe, then you
might be able to pick up a pair.

-----------------------------------------------------------

One of the bigger brands, Red Wing Shoes, has recently released a new
line of shoes under the Muscle name, including some athletic/hiker
styles:

http://www.redwingshoe.com/search-results.cfm?searchbox=Muscle


-----------------------------------------------------------

Another brand, Nautilus, has a wider selection of sport-shoe styles:

http://www.nautilussafetyfootwear.com/men1.htm

-----------------------------------------------------------

The CAT brand (Caterpillar, known for their heavy equipment) has been
a presence in the safety footwear market for a while as well:

http://www.catfootwear.com/catalog/gallery.asp

Colour choices leave a lot to be desired, unless of course you prefer
earth-tones and military greens.

-----------------------------------------------------------

The brand you mentioned, Dakota, is actually a house brand for a chain
called Mark's Work Wearhouse here in Canada. Mark's Work Wearhouse is
now part of that most Canadian of chains, Canadian Tire. You can find
Dakota products on their website at:

http://www.marksworkwearhouse.com/

Go to Shop Now>Industrial>Footwear>Industrial Casual

-----------------------------------------------------------

Finally, in your own neck of the woods, have you seen the
athletic-style safety shoe from King's Safety Footwear?

It's available under their Comfortwear brand:

http://www.comfortwear.com.au/ct880aux.html

I can't say that I'm a fan of the color combination though.

-----------------------------------------------------------


The biggest issue will be finding a way to buy a pair from Australia;
then again, if you've ever noticed any of the questions that get
posted here periodically asking how to buy Nike or Adidas shoes off of
a US website and shipped to a Nigerian address, where there's a will
there's a way. Given the need for safety shoes to fit snugly, and the
difference in shoe sizing systems between North America and Australia,
I would not recommend buying any safety footwear without having the
opportunity to try them on, first. Safety footwear is a lot less
forgiving!

Regards,

aht-ga
Google Answers Researcher

---

Clarification of Answer by aht-ga on 01 Oct 2004 13:49 PDT

Hi John:

Thanks for the rating and the tip!

Pricing for the Dakotas (CDN$90 ~ AUS$98) is actually at the lower end
of the price range (yet another reason why Dakotas from Mark's Work
Wearhouse are so popular). Just from looking at retailers here in
Canada, a good pair of athletic-style safety shoes can run as much as
CDN$150. If this were the only pair that gets used in a typical
warehousing job, then it'll last 12-24 months. Most employers here in
Canada that have employees who are required to wear safety footwear,
will typically provide a subsidy (from $50-$100) every 1-2 years
(again depends on how severe the working conditions are). Safety
footwear is mandated for a long list of conditions by the various
Workers' Compensation Boards / Occupational Safety and Health
Administrations throughout the states and provinces of North America.

Footwear sizing is gender specific in North America, with a wider
variation than Australia. Here's a good chart:

http://www.geartrends.com/cgi-bin/geartrends/Buyguide_footwearsizechart

So generally, if you wanted to buy a men's size for a female, you'd
have to carefully look at this chart and aim for the nearest fit.

You can learn a lot more about safety footwear from the following article:

http://www.occupationalhazards.com/safety_zones/38/article.php?id=1537

Great summary from an American requirements perspective. 

One thing to point out before you look into importing safety shoes for
more than your own personal use. Every occupational safety
jurisdiction has its own rules and requirements for what constitutes
"approved" safety footwear. From the article above, you'll see what
the typical American OSHA requirements are (in particular, footwear
must conform with ANSI Z41-1991 standard). In Canada, footwear must
meet at least one of several comparable standards (here's the list
from my own province:)

  http://regulation.healthandsafetycentre.org/s/Part8.asp#SectionNumber:8.22

In Australia, the standard that matters is AS 2210:Safety Footwear,
you should be able to view this standard at your local library.

Feel free to post any additional questions you may have on this topic;
even if I end up not being able to provide the answer, one of the
other Researchers should be able to come through!

Regards,

aht-ga
Google Answers Researcher

Yes thanks very much AHT; that was all and exactly what I wanted at
this stage.It was in fact a teriffic snapshot of what's available in
that small defined range. I am just after a pair for myself at the
moment and perhaps for  two  or three others who have also had a
chance to see & feel shoes and then talk to someone ex-Canada who is
constantly wearing "Dakota" and has a few pair that she interchanges
from day to day.  However having said that I can  see that possibly it
would be worth thinking about importing a small number for sale if
they proved as good on the feet for type of work I am involved in.  I
know nothing about buying or selling anything however being just a
wage-earner all my life. Still its something to keep in my mind for a
rainy day. I note that the Aussie site you referred me to does indeed
claim to be a purveyor of the athletic-type safety shoe but as you can
see they are not as sophisticated in style and features as the
Canadian versions. Looks like Canada has the market sewn up in the
quality stakes re: athletic safety shoes. Maybe they were first on to
the idea, yes??  I am wondering if you could just bear with me for a
moment  for a slightly enhanced  response; only if you know off the
top of your head that is.

  Qusetions One: I see that Dakota is quoting about $90 a pair. Would
that be about the same for the other brands??

    Qusetion Two: Would you think that both the mens and womens would
be identical, as in the same shoe  fits both in the athletic range at
least??

   Qusetion Three: If I have some more related questions later on
could I put those to you particularly ; as in a new safety shoe
question with new fee I mean, not as an free adjunct to this question

 Thankg again very much,

   John From Melbourne

John,
Try this site:  http://www.payless.com/.

They have steel toe work boots.  Also, they have hiking/athletic shoes
that are steel toed as well and may suit your needs.

Dear AHT,
            Thanks heaps for what you have supplied and setting me
straight on a cupla points as well. I  want to read all you have
provided( as it looks teriffic) and get back to you with ratings
and/or comments or clarifications but I just cant afford the time
right now, sorry. It is now 4.04AM here in Melbourne and I just have
to get some sleep now or never in order to be able to get to work
meeting later this morning. You will be settling into lunch about this
time I think.

 Seeya soon,

 John From Melbourne

If it's a large order, try
http://www.alibaba.com/catalogs/322/Footwear.html - hella cheap (but
you need to post enquiries to suppliers). If your only looking for a
few, ask for sample order prices.

............and thanks to you too "Idiot-Proof". I have just spent
ages on all parts of  paid anwser supplied and have not got to your
offering as yet but certainly appreciate the contribution in any case.

 John From Melbourne

Thanks very much again AHT. I think( given the price and other
constraints like safety standards that need to be adhered to)I may
just seek out a pair for myself and a couple of other interested
supervisors/middle managers like myself who  are in positions of
constantly patrolling very large warehouse type environments; where
safety shoes are an imperitive. Staff in my organisation get the 
allowance as well but it  usually covers the full cost of shoes as we
only deal in the simplistic cheaper shoes at around $65 a pair. I
wrote to one of the companies you provided info on and they said they
had no outlet in Australia anywhere  but I could purchase a pair to be
sent over from England via a website they advised. I may try that.
However if the Dakotas are so much cheaper and having seen them as
well I may try and seek out a pair  via the relevant site you posted. 
I have a Canadaian mate in Halifax; he may be able to assist.

 Till next time,

 John From Melbourne