[klickitat jim]

I'm a poster child for what not to do. Flip flops and shorts. Dropped a cinder block on my toe and broke it, but I still wear the flip flops.

Reason #1 why my brewery boots are steel toed.

The key with steel toed boots, don't wear them if there are things heavy enough to crush the steel toe.

[HoosierBrew]

I'm a poster child for what not to do. Flip flops and shorts. Dropped a cinder block on my toe and broke it, but I still wear the flip flops.

Reason #1 why my brewery boots are steel toed.

The key with steel toed boots, don't wear them if there are things heavy enough to crush the steel toe.

+1.  I had a job a long time ago while going to college where steel toes weren't allowed. The parts that this place sold could have crushed the steel toe. I remember paying quite a bit of attention there !

[klickitat jim]

Ya, it's something people don't think about. Steel toes boots are hard for the ER to get off when they're mashed flat

[HoosierBrew]

Ya, it's something people don't think about. Steel toes boots are hard for the ER to get off when they're mashed flat

Yep, I work at a hospital. It often results in amputation. A real day ruiner.

[majorvices]

Oh man, that gives me the willies!

[garc_mall]

Ya, it's something people don't think about. Steel toes boots are hard for the ER to get off when they're mashed flat

Yep, I work at a hospital. It often results in amputation. A real day ruiner.

In the Army, Steel-toed boots were banned in the war-zone. My black boots just had an extra 2-3 layers of hardened leather in the toe. I have taken 70mph fastballs off my toe, and never felt it.

[ibru]

I guess I have a different take on QUALITY steel toed shoes. Being in the seed business over 30 years of my life, they've saved my right foot twice. Once while turning a 3500 lb. pallet of seed with a pallet jack and getting my foot between the pallet wood and the wall of the truck. The other time a heavy steel forklift bridge (put down between a truck and a loading dock to allow a forklift to load pallets on a truck) was dropped on it. My foot was sore both times but still intact. I'm sold on them and still wear them at work even though these days I have a lot less exposure to the warehouse. You'd have to drop something VERY heavy on them to crush the steel toed shoes I wear.

Bruce 

[AmandaK]

I'm a poster child for what not to do. Flip flops and shorts. Dropped a cinder block on my toe and broke it, but I still wear the flip flops.

Reason #1 why my brewery boots are steel toed.

The key with steel toed boots, don't wear them if there are things heavy enough to crush the steel toe.

Fun fact: I can't lift things that are that heavy.

I have wimpy little arms. The fiance has to lift kegs into the keezer for us. I have to bring in a bar stool, get it up there, lift it up, then get it the 14" up to the collar, then slowly down onto the top of another keg, then slowly down into the bottom of the keezer. It's silly looking.

[Joe Sr.]

I'm a poster child for what not to do. Flip flops and shorts. Dropped a cinder block on my toe and broke it, but I still wear the flip flops.

Reason #1 why my brewery boots are steel toed.

The key with steel toed boots, don't wear them if there are things heavy enough to crush the steel toe.

Fun fact: I can't lift things that are that heavy.

I have wimpy little arms. The fiance has to lift kegs into the keezer for us. I have to bring in a bar stool, get it up there, lift it up, then get it the 14" up to the collar, then slowly down onto the top of another keg, then slowly down into the bottom of the keezer. It's silly looking.

You need to rig up a chain fall.  It would make your brewery look awesomely industrial.

The part about lowering kegs into a keezer makes me think I'll just stick with my Sanyo mini-fridge.  I don't need the back problems and I already have shoulder problems.

I like my steel-toed boots and they've caught many sheets of drywall and plywood.  I've broken enough toes to know I'd rather not do it again.  But I'd also rather have them broken than have them amputated.  Steel toes are great, but like most things you need the right tool for the right application.  If they're adding a risk factor they're not worth it.

[HoosierBrew]

For sure, for the sake of brewing, steel toes are obviously gonna protect you well (and safely).  When Jim mentioned it being possible to crush them, my own past experiences came to mind. But in the home, no worries I could imagine. Sorry for the grisly ER derail !

[Jimmy K]

I'm a poster child for what not to do. Flip flops and shorts. Dropped a cinder block on my toe and broke it, but I still wear the flip flops.

Reason #1 why my brewery boots are steel toed.

The key with steel toed boots, don't wear them if there are things heavy enough to crush the steel toe.

Fun fact: I can't lift things that are that heavy.

Nobody can lift things that are that heavy.

[Jimmy K]

SCIENCE!!
 
http://kwc.org/mythbusters/2005/11/episode_42_steel_toe_amputatio.html
 
Sort of...

[AmandaK]

You need to rig up a chain fall.  It would make your brewery look awesomely industrial.

After watching several chain falls fail in spectacular fashion on my last job site (think immediate drop of a 6'-0" diameter FRP pipe from 12' high - it's pretty intense), I'll stay away from those. And yes, the chain falls were rated for that size and type of load.

What I really need is a miniature bridge crane with a remote controlled hoist. That's the ticket! 

[HoosierBrew]

SCIENCE!!
 
http://kwc.org/mythbusters/2005/11/episode_42_steel_toe_amputatio.html
 
Sort of...

Yeah I remember seeing that one. The few cases I've heard of are anecdotal but are from doctors - one story of a forklift with a very heavy load losing hydraulics to the forks, the forks fall from high,with the load landing on a guys foot from high up.  I don't think their tests simulated that . And there are different ratings for the boots as mentioned. The guy I'm mentioning may have had cheaper boots (probably did). I guess you hope not to have that happen regardless of what you're wearing !

[Jimmy K]

It doesn't sound like that guy was keeping his foot regardless of what he was wearing.