Items banned in the workplace in my experience are open toed shoes, and non-leather shoes. This would include tennis shoes, or athletic shoes, and is done as protection for the feet as leather shoes are more puncture resistant. This would also follow with a requirement for steel toed shoes.

In my experience with truck drivers, we usually ban cowboy boots as the leather sole and heel are too slippery. This is usually expanded out to include any shoe with a heel, and rubber soles are encouraged. The legitimate reason behind this is that the steps on the side of the cab are made of aluminum - metal for durability, and aluminum helps to reduce the GVW of the truck. That's Gross Vehicle Weight - commercial vehicles are registered by GVW, with the maximum for a class 8 vehicle being 80,000 lbs. As this is a gross weight, lowering the tare weight of the truck and trailer combination allows for more payload.

The leather soled shoes, especially with heels, are prone to slipping when the steps are wet, icy, or snow covered. The number of drivers injured simply entering or exiting the truck is astonishingly high - hence the shoe rules, and the three point entry system.

Personally, since transitioning at work I always wear heels. Usually 2 to 2 1/2 inches, but I have been known to go higher. I wear flats in the car, or boots depending on the weather, and then change either in the parking lot or in my office in bad weather. Driving in heels tends to cause scuffs and wear marks on them. I spend too much on a pair of shoes to ruin them driving. The only restriction I have is that I cannot wear open toed shoes if I enter the production floor - in the office is not an issue. But as I usually walk the floor at least four times each day, I stay away from open toed shoes at work.

Either way, I love the way heels make my legs look. I just wish I wasn't 5'11" so I could wear higher heels without looking freakishly tall. I am already taller than all of my staff (including all of the men), and even a high percentage of the male employees on the production floor are shorter than I am. This doesn't bother me, but add a three inch heel and I am suddenly 6'2". Going higher starts to look a little ridiculous in a crowd.

I believe that any company trying to institute a requirement for heels in the US would be hard pressed to do so, but you would be amazed what you can get away with if you make it a requirement for hiring. If your potential employees sign off on a dress or grooming code prior to employment, then the law allows it as it was part of the terms of employment. Case in point, UPS has always had grooming standards for it's delivery drivers which include the length of their hair, not to mention facial hair - although facial hair restrictions are allowed as it can be considered a safety hazard if they are required to deliver to any facility which may require a respirator in the event of an emergency.

So, if you are going to institute a requirement for heels, you would pretty much have to do it right from the startup of the company. You can require appropriate dress shoes in a dress code - but suddenly putting a height requirement for heels into an existing office would be a law suit in the making.

D