i have to have steel toed boots or shoes for work and they ALL have leather...any help for a vegan pleeeez???
I haven't the clue. It's suggested that we wear steel toe, but majority of the time I generally just rock a pair of sperries or some hiking boots. Gets too cold in the Winter for steel toe and majority of the time, in the hvac industry, the only time we have to do anything is when we're doing installs and system reclaim/removals, etc... then we have to roll a dolly and get a 600lb.+ unit up three stories in some cases. I got out of that and I'm just doing EPA regulation/evaluation/code stuff and troubleshooting. You either have to break your neck or be on the technical side of the job... I prefer to do that so I can go into something environmental, in the future. Anyway... My dad actually had a pair of non-leather steel toes. I have no clue where he got them, but they made him break out. Some of the chemicals and oils in the artificial materials can really hurt you.
used is an option, and one I'd personally consider, with a new insole. or: http://www.mooshoes.com/invoice_variant.cgi?rm=edit&product_id=4796 http://www.ethicalwares.com/safe.htm
at the shoe store I work at, we sell a brand called pit bull that are steel toed. They're built kind of like hikers. They still have some real suede on them but also some mesh, they aren't all leather unlike all our other steel-toed shoes. I know it's not a perfect solution but it's slightly less bad than all leather.
yeah im not into being a "flimsy vegan" i am really at a loss...im wearing brahmas at the moment because i have no other options...thanks druminimama for the links btw they really helped!
another option you could maybe go with is trying to dissuade them from the steel toe thing altogether,,,, depending on what it is you do .... many a time steel toes are actually more danger than non steel toe,,, the weight n crush factors of certain occupations,,,,therefore lopping off what they are trying to protect to begin with.... ... i know this again would depend alot upon the company where you work and how willing they actually are to listening to what one has to say or iffin they have to follow OSHA laws.. but seems almost like it would be easier trying that route than a non animal sort of foot protection product
i work in a steel production shop, and its required byoregon law (OSHA) that we wear them....unfortunatly if i was in a different department i wouldnt have to wear them, thus i am stuck doing so.
one more possible source: http://www.thevegetariansite.com/cg...Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=S&Category_Code=safety
There are a lot of rubber boots with OSHA-certified steel toes, I wore them when I was a miner. Get them big enough to wear a pair of wool socks over a pair of cotton socks in them and they don't sweat your feet.