Page 6 - OHS, November/December 2024

E D I T O R ’ S C O M M E N T A R Y
A Work in Progress
Strides have been made in women’s PPE, but the journey isn’t over.
I’m dating myself, but two years ago, I used to work in the motorcycle
industry, and at the time, the need for women’s riding gear was just
coming to the fore. More women were riding motorcycles, scooters
and ATVs, but their options for helmets, boots, gloves and other riding
gear were slim to none. At the start, most of what women riders had
access to was very limited and certainly not designed for them.
Th is was when I was fi rst exposed to the term “pink-washing,”
meaning that the solution to women’s riding gear was to simply take
small-sized men’s and boys’ production options and off er them in
“girls’ colors.” It was a terrible fi rst foray, but fortunately, women riders and industry members
calling out the pink-washing for what it was spurred manufacturers to make gear that was
genuinely designed for women.
And we’ve been seeing the same thing in personal protective equipment for women. Rather
than cladding women workers in small-sized men’s gear or unisex options, manufacturers are
starting to off er women-specifi c PPE that is designed for their frames. Th e hips are women-
specifi c, the shoulders fi t a woman’s shoulders, the shape of the foot conforms to women’s feet,
etc. (In fact, you can see a winning option in our New Products of the Year coverage starting
on page 12.) However, ensuring the adoption of women’s PPE is a work in progress.
Th at’s why Emily Soloby, founder and CEO of Juno Jones Safety Boots, and Amy Roosa,
founder of Th e Safety Rack, co-founded the MyBodyMyPPE campaign (mybodymyppe.
org, #MyBodyMyPPE). Th e campaign is an eff ort to raise awareness about the lack of access
to properly fi tting PPE for women. Number two is to collect data from women who have
experienced access issues with PPE made for them. Th at way, advocates arm themselves with
that data to help make their case when working to convince decision-makers why they need
PPE that is made for them.
Bearing that in mind, MyBodyMyPPE conducted a survey that received responses from
505 women from diff erent industry sectors, such as construction, manufacturing and mining.
While the main results of the survey are yet to be released, Soloby and Roosa did share one
prevailing fi nding: 70 percent of the women responded that they do not have access to proper
PPE that fi ts them in the workplace.
Th at’s a troubling statistic. Every worker deserves PPE that will keep them safe and
productive. So, how can you help? First off , head over to mybodymyppe.org to learn more
about the campaign and get more information. Second, to help evangelize the need internally,
start with a PPE risk assessment. Conduct a survey to fi nd out where there are gaps in your
company’s PPE program. Once the need is clear, survey where to source women’s PPE.
You can hear my full talk with Soloby and Roosa on episode 216 of the OH&S SafetyPod
podcast; they share lots of information on how we can advance this work in progress.
DAVID KOPF
Publisher & Executive Editor, OH&S Magazine
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6 Occupational Health & Safety | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 www.ohsonline.com
VOLUME 93 NUMBER 7
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