14 JUNE 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Women’s PPE for the Construction Industry Adapted from Information by CONEXPO-CON/AGG 365 Personal protective equipment (PPE) is designed to protect workers from workplace hazards of all kinds. Historically, PPE has been designed with a male physique in mind, often leading to ill-fitting equipment for women. The need for appropriate PPE for women in the construction industry is not only a matter of equality but also safety. Sara Feuling, P.E., remembers being handed an extra large safety vest and being told it’s all they had on her first day working in construction. Her boss at the time didn’t see a problem, but with a vest that could fit two of her, Sara could see the dangers. Sara and her mother sewed up the extra large safety vest so it wouldn’t snag on anything while she worked. She is now Senior Director, Construction at Association of Equipment Manufacturers, where she often talks with a wide variety of women in all sectors of the construction industry. In 15 years, the construction industry has made “great progress” in women’s PPE said Sara, “but there is still a long way to go” to properly fitting PPE. A proposed Occupational Safety and Health Administration rule seeks to bring the construction industry’s PPE requirements in line with other industries that explicitly require equipment to fit properly. Hopefully this change will not only keep women, but workers of all sizes and shapes, safe. Manufacturers of PPE visited project sites to ask women about their needs and how to create products to keep them safe. With more options from manufacturers and understanding why it is important, women are more likely to receive proper fitting PPE. “I really do give the manufacturers a lot of credit there for really focusing more on the actual need of their customer,” said Sara. A lot of progress has been made to ensure the safety of women workers in the past 15-20 years. If companies have proper PPE options, and order proper gear, women might show up to work feeling safe on their first day. There is still a long road ahead for PPE being standard for women across all sectors of the large construction industry, but hopefully in the future women will not have the safety challenges they face with improper PPE. Construction contractors play a pivotal role in ensuring proper fitting PPE for women and all body types. Here are some ways they can contribute: j Offer training sessions on the importance of properly fitting PPE to educate employees how to select the right size and how to use it correctly. j Have a variety of PPE sizes and styles to accomodate different body types and offer allowance to buy anything not available on-site. j If needed, revise safety policies to include guidelines on PPE for women. j Conduct regular safety audits to ensure all workers are using PPE correctly and that it is providing the necessary protection. j Promote a safety first culture prioritizing safety above all else, where the proper use of PPE is seen as essential and nonnegotiable. j Management and senior staff should lead by example, by consistently using and advocating the correct use of properly fitting PPE. Photo credit: Sara Feuling, P.E. C&G
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