Not all work boots are equal. Do you need ankle support, do not trainers, do you need under foot spike protection, acid, water, etc etc.
As for hiviz. It’s a rainbow of options. What was yellow vest last week may be orange sleeved this week. Again, as an employee the boss is legally required to provide it. As a s/e then consider a range to suit the most likely permutations
where I used work few years back
I had steel toe trainers site ones from screwfix.
were nice light and comfy.
but be warned some places don’t like you in safety trainers .
90% of places are fine but always get one jobs worth who complains. even when you say there steel toed and you kick the nearest post to prove they are .
followed by well just the once wear them next time or be rufused
I just use these amazon.co.uk/dp/B00WT2E1KC/ … th=1&psc=1
I always ended up snapping laces in my last job so i just went the no laces route. Just put a pair of decent insoles since you’re wearing them all day and then Bob’s your uncle. As long as they have a steel toe and preferably a steel mid-sole (in case you stand on a dirty big nail) then anything goes, you might get some questions if you wear them safety trainers but most places should be fine with them.
As others have said, depends on the type of work you’ll be doing.
There’s a huge difference in weight and comfort between a cheap pair from a builder’s merchants that are steel toed and steel shanked and a pair of composite toes with no shank. Each company’s idea of waterproof can vary a lot too.
If you’ll be outside a lot in snow/ice/deep puddles, steel toecaps can conduct the cold to your feet if that bothers you.
I personally like Timberland Pros as I have wide feet and some of their range are incredibly light weight.
I’ve found Wolverine comfy in the past but a bit narrow - They come with a 30 day comfort guarantee if you’re not happy with them.
I’ve heard good things about Uvex safety trainers but never tried them myself.
Last 2 are available from Arco.
I got steel toe trainers from sports direct cheap and cheerful. I’m a trunk driver and have no load interaction so dont feel there is a need for big heavy clumpy boots.