Before the development of the steel toes, workers wore wooden clogs or leather boots. The lack of protection led to work-related injuries.
The origin of the steel toe boot can be traced to at least the start of the 20th century when industrial safety gear first became an issue. Before then it was cheaper to replace an injured worker than to introduce safety measures.The first protective boots were wooden boots, called sabots. These protected workers from falling objects
Sabots protected farmers on the field from sharp objects and protected toes in case a horse or cow stepped on them.
During the early industrial revolution, workers used sabots to destroy machinery by throwing them into the gears of factories to stop production. The word "sabotage" came from this activity.