Event highlighted need to improve PPE for women

The event took place at the request of RS’ customers across all sectors who want to see better PPE for women, particularly those working in hazardous industries like engineering, construction and manufacturing.

Irene Hoile, operations director at RS said, “We know from independent research that women are being given ill-fitting PPE when asked to do jobs that could potentially put them in danger. In some cases, they are told to put on clothing which doesn’t provide the same level of protection as it should, because sizes are way too big or not cut for a woman’s shape. That’s why we decided to hold this event to hear what women think and want.

“Women aren’t just small men! 50 per cent of warehouse operatives at RS in Corby and Nuneaton are women and PPE needs to be adaptable to them at various stages of their life, including pregnancy and menopause.”

The day had more than 50 people in attendance and featured a panel event, where suppliers informed attendees what actions they are taking to solve problems like incorrect sizing of PPE for women and ensuring any kind of workwear is fit for purpose. And people were able to view a wide selection of PPE product solutions in a marketplace setting.

Debbie Dixey, PPE solutions specialist for uvex said, “When it comes to PPE, one size does not fit all. Regardless of whether you are a man or a woman, it’s important to ensure your PPE is not only fit for purpose, but fits you as an individual. We engineer wearability into every product we make; it’s the perfect balance of fit, comfort, product performance and style to increase compliance and reduce accidents. It’s so important that manufacturers produce a range of sizes and fits across their product portfolio.

“Footwear is a good example of sizing, as a woman’s foot is not a scaled down version of a man’s one.  We manufacture sizes three to six-and-a-half using a woman’s last to ensure a better fit, based on contours and bone density. Support from manufacturers in the form of footwear clinics ensure a customised fit which can make all the difference to comfort and compliance.”

Rosie Beevor, country manager at Deutsche Windtechnik, is an engineer working in the global offshore wind sector and said she found the event very useful.

She said: “When I’m selecting PPE and workwear for our offshore engineers, when it comes to women, I need something which fits properly so that it does not present additional risk. For example, a women’s jacket has less material around the waist so when worn under personal fall protective equipment (PFPE) it provides a safer fit to the user.

“We need to ensure boots, helmets, gloves and glasses are also correctly fitted to suit the wider size variation required for our women engineers. All of this needs to also take into account that our engineers work at height, offshore, exposed to the elements which can range from 30 degrees upwards in the summer to minus 10 degrees in the winter out at sea.

“This has been a great event as it’s enabled me to meet directly with manufacturers and find about what they currently offer and also exciting new future product range releases.”

Feedback from the attendees was very positive and plans are already taking place to make this event a regular fixture in RS’s calendar.