The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) has launched e-learning modules to help workers and employers understand the safety risks of ill-fitting personal protective equipment (PPE).
The two micro-learning modules, titled PPE: Right Fit, Real Protection, are available through the ECITB’s Learning Experience Platform. They are designed for workers who wear PPE and those responsible for selecting, providing and managing it.
The training explains why PPE must be suitable for both the task and the individual, and how workers and organisations can help ensure equipment delivers the protection it is designed to provide.
The initiative comes amid growing industry recognition that PPE must accommodate the needs of a diverse workforce. The #PPEthatfits campaign, run by CIOB and Construction Management, recently won a MemCom award, highlighting the importance of ensuring protective equipment fits the people wearing it. A recent Women in Construction conference also called for greater action on women’s PPE.
Mat Parker, ECITB head of careers and inclusion, said: “PPE is often the final barrier between a worker and serious injury or ill health. But it can only provide the protection it was designed to deliver when it is suitable for both the task and the individual wearing it.
“Everyone deserves PPE that protects them as intended, but correctly fitting inclusive PPE is not about providing different standards for different people. It is about ensuring everyone receives the same level of protection that allows them to work safely and effectively.”
The modules highlight how differences in body size and shape, medical needs, pregnancy, disability, neurodiversity and religious requirements can affect PPE suitability.
Not actually being kept safe at work
The ECITB worked with the Women’s Engineering Society (WES), which reviewed the initial training proposal and contributed industry insights through its WES Safety Forum.
Susan Robson, WES chief executive, said the organisation’s Voice of Our Apprentices report had found that, although female apprentices were increasingly reporting a sense of belonging at work, some were still not being provided with well-fitting PPE.
She said: “They felt safe at work, but are not actually being kept safe at work.”
The Toolbox Talks use practical engineering construction scenarios to raise awareness rather than develop technical PPE competence. They promote inclusive PPE as good practice, helping employers recognise that different workers may need different sizes, designs or adjustments to achieve the required level of protection.
The training also stresses the shared responsibility of workers and employers. Workers should use PPE correctly, check it routinely and raise concerns when equipment no longer provides suitable protection. Managers and organisations should ensure effective selection, planning and reassessment.
The training is initially available to ECITB in-scope employers, with the organisation hoping to extend access to the wider industry in the future.
