Construction firm Hobson & Porter has called for greater action on women’s PPE, warning that ill-fitting equipment is creating unnecessary safety and recruitment barriers.
Speaking at a Women in Construction panel hosted by the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire contractor at Airco’s headquarters in Hull, women shared experiences of painful safety boots, oversized waterproofs creating trip hazards and uncomfortable PPE affecting their confidence on site.
Katy Robinson, senior project manager at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, who was recently named UK’s Most Influential Women in Construction, said: “Construction cannot afford to lose talented people because of problems that are entirely preventable. If someone doesn’t feel safe, comfortable or respected from the moment they step onto site, we’ve already created an unnecessary barrier.
“The products increasingly exist. The challenge now is making sure employers know they are available, procure them properly and make inclusive PPE the norm rather than the exception.”
‘We have to remove practical barriers’
Wendy Gaynor Barrett, UK strategic development manager at Arco, said: “Construction has made real progress in becoming a more diverse industry, but we have to keep challenging ourselves. If we’re serious about attracting and retaining more women, then we have to remove the practical barriers that still exist. This is one of the simplest changes the industry can make, yet one of the most important.”
Joe Booth, pre-construction and business development director at Hobson & Porter, said the industry needed to treat PPE as a health and safety issue rather than simply a procurement matter.
“Properly fitting PPE should not cost more than standard alternatives,” he said. “Employers have a responsibility to ensure every member of the workforce has equipment that fits correctly.”
The event comes amid growing industry attention on inclusive PPE. The CIOB’s #PPEthatfits campaign, which has highlighted the safety implications of poorly fitting PPE for women, recently won Best Lobbying Campaign at the MemCom Awards.
Hobson & Porter is urging contractors, clients and procurement teams to review their PPE policies and make correctly fitting equipment standard across construction sites.
