Trends in … women’s PPE

When personal protective clothing and equipment don’t fit – which is often the case for women in the workplace – women are “unnecessarily” exposed to a “number of dangerous, but avoidable, hazards,” says Katie Mielcarek, marketing manager at Gateway Safety.

Some of those hazards, Mielcarek said, are:

• Debris in the eyes from safety glasses that are too big and leave gaps around the eyes.
• 
Hearing loss as a result of earplugs or earmuffs that don’t fit.
• 
Inhalation hazards from respirators that don’t fit well and/or don’t include appropriate adjustment features.

This is why the “pink it and shrink it” mentality doesn’t work when it comes to creating PPE for women.

“In the past, manufacturers would market smaller sizes for women or develop a pink option,” said Jim Huebner, customer marketing manager, North America Industrial, Protective Industrial Products. “Now, products are being designed to fit women’s body shapes.”

But it’s more than buying the first safety vest to be found on the internet.

“Employers and workers need to fully understand how the safety apparel they provide will perform against the hazards they face on the job,” said Kelly Franco, president of Seraphina Safety Apparel. “Understanding the standards empowers them to determine if the PPE provided is appropriate protection. This knowledge is critical in high-risk environments where wearing the wrong PPE could have life-threatening 
consequences.”

And the PPE needs to be tailored to the industry in which the women are working.

“Historically, women did not make up a large percentage of the energy industry workforce,” said Barbara Fitzgeorge, vice president of marketing at Tyndale Enterprises. “However, with the expansion of the electrical grid, more women are entering these industries than ever before.

“Wearing appropriate arc-rated clothing can mean the difference between life and death, but it’s not enough to just wear AR clothing – to maximize its performance, it must also fit properly.

“This is especially important for women, who have traditionally had to size down in AR designed for men. Now, manufacturers are creating AR designed to fit women properly, driving both safety and comfort among females in the field.”

Regardless of industry, “Employers and workers should better understand that women’s PPE needs to be designed specifically for a female body shape to ensure proper fit and maximum protection, as using standard ‘men’s’ PPE on women can compromise safety due to anatomical differences,” Huebner said. “Employers need to find out what solutions are available. Workers need to be advocates for their own comfort and safety.”

Compiled with the assistance of the International Safety Equipment Association

Coming next month:

• Eco-friendly/sustainability products
• Safety signs/labels