A range of locally-manufactured safety shoes specifically designed for women in the workplace, is now available in a number of different styles.

Two new steel midsole safety shoe variants as well as a chukka boot have been launched in an effort to address the need for a greater choice of local safety footwear for women.

It has been noted that many women in industry still wear personal protective equipment (PPE) designed for men, as manufacturers have been slow to accommodate the specific needs of women.

This appears to be especially prevalent within the local manufacturing sector, with no locally manufactured female-specific safety footwear products available until the recent launch of the new shoes.    

Women requiring specific PPE have had to purchase ill-fitting male footwear to ensure their safety. This could cause discomfort and lead to a loss of productivity and potential health problems affecting the knees, hips and back.

The new footwear styles are designed specifically to take into account the contours of women’s feet. The Cate and Nicole brand-named safety footwear from Sisi, is now available in a steel midsole variant. A split-leather chukka boot called Yvonne has also been recently unveiled.

By replacing full grain leather with split leather, the company has reduced the price of the chukka boots by about 17% per boot. This is in an effort to assist those in non-heavy industries or contract workers on a tight budget, to be able to purchase leather boots that have been specifically designed for women.

The footwear was designed to look similar to male safety shoes, to allow female workers to blend in with their male counterparts.

Features of the footwear range are outlined below

Cate and Nicole:

• Full grain leather upper
• Dual density polyurethane (PU)/PU sole
• SRC slip resistance
• Available with and without a steel midsole
• European Norm (EN) 20345 certified

Yvonne:

• Genuine split leather upper
• Dual density PU/PU sole
• EN 20345 certified