Page 32 - OHS, July/August 2024

PPE: PPE FOR WOMEN
PPE for Women: Ensuring
Safety and Comfort
Advancements in women-specific personal protective equipment are helping improve safety, performance, and comfort for women in industrial environments, and there are several steps employers can take to better protect women workers.
BY GINA GODEEN
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is essential for en- suring worker safety in hazardous environments. Histor- ically, PPE has been designed primarily for men. How- ever, a male workforce no longer exclusively dominates
the working trades.
In 2021, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that women
comprised nearly 30 percent of the manufacturing workforce, and roughly 11 percent of construction. Those numbers have contin- ued to grow in recent years.
As more women enter industries like construction, manufac- turing, and mining, the need for PPE designed specifically for women has been in greater demand.
The Importance of Proper Fit in PPE
Ill-fitting PPE can pose significant safety risks. Loose-fitting ap- parel, for example, can get caught in machinery, compromising worker safety. Similarly, gloves that do not fit correctly can de- crease grip, leading to accidents.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proper fit requirements to ensure PPE protects workers ef- fectively. While this has been a long-time requirement for general industry, it’s not technically incorporated into the construction regulations. But that is expected to be changing soon.
On July 19, 2023, OSHA published its personal protection equipment (PPE) in construction proposed rule.1 The proposed change would clarify that PPE must fit each employee properly to protect them from occupational hazards and would align the lan- guage in OSHA’s PPE standard for construction with its standards for general industry and maritime.
OSHA notes that the failure of standard-sized PPE to protect physically smaller construction workers properly, as well as prob- lems with access to properly fitting PPE, have long been safety
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and health concerns in the construction industry, especially for women.
Improperly fitting PPE may fail to provide protection to an em- ployee, present additional hazards, or discourage employees from using it in the workplace.
Poorly fitting PPE can also hinder task performance, making work slower and less efficient.
One woman from a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) study shared her experience. “They gave me a welding leather jacket that was a foot longer than my hand. And gloves humongous I couldn’t even pick anything up.”
Because properly fitting PPE is crucial for worker safety, com- fort, and performance, it is essential for employers to offer PPE in women’s sizes to better accommodate their entire workforce.
Unique Requirements Based on Female Anatomy
The “shrink it and pink it” approach, where men’s PPE is simply made smaller and colored differently, just doesn’t cut it when ad- dressing the unique safety needs of women. Women’s bodies are not just smaller versions of men’s; they have distinct anatomical differences that require specially designed PPE to ensure proper fit and protection.
For example, women typically have shorter torsos and wider hips compared to men. This difference in body shape means that PPE like vests, jackets, and harnesses must be tailored to fit shorter upper bodies and accommodate wider hip areas without compro- mising safety or comfort. Ill-fitting PPE in these areas can lead to significant discomfort and potential safety hazards, such as re- stricted movement or increased risk of entanglement.
Additionally, women generally have smaller hands and fingers than men. Gloves designed for men’s hands can result in a poor grip and reduced dexterity for women. This increases the risk of acci-
30 Occupational Health & Safety | JULY/AUGUST 2024
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