{"id":13983,"date":"2023-03-09T12:56:11","date_gmt":"2023-03-09T20:56:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/one-size-does-not-fit-all-lack-of-proper-ppe-for-women-is-dangerous\/"},"modified":"2023-03-09T12:56:12","modified_gmt":"2023-03-09T20:56:12","slug":"one-size-does-not-fit-all-lack-of-proper-ppe-for-women-is-dangerous","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/one-size-does-not-fit-all-lack-of-proper-ppe-for-women-is-dangerous\/","title":{"rendered":"One size does not fit all: Lack of proper PPE for women is dangerous"},"content":{"rendered":"

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When her too-large safety vest caught on a door handle, Amy Roosa was jerked backward into the door. The contact resulted in a bruise.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

For women in construction, that\u2019s an all-too-common occurrence.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Founder of The Safety Rack, a social media network that reviews PPE for women in the trades, Roosa said it\u2019s typical for women in construction to have to don ill-fitting gear. The result can introduce new hazards, as protection equipment like a bright safety vest morphs into an injury risk.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Amanda Guadarrama, project manager for Nashville, Tennessee-based Hardaway Construction, said she had experienced the exact same type of incident \u2014 a vest too big for her catching on something and jerking her back unexpectedly.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes the fit is too bad to even wear and work with.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf, for example, my gloves are too big on me, I am more likely to remove them to complete my <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>job, thus putting myself at risk for injury that the gloves could have prevented,\u201d said Roosa, who works as a risk control specialist senior for Gallagher, a Rolling Meadows, Illinois-based insurance and risk consulting firm.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Jessica Bunting, research practice director for CPWR, or the Center for Construction Research and Training, said an informal survey of 174 tradeswomen found that 77% had been exposed to a hazard unnecessarily because of ill-fitting PPE. The top hazards included falls and inhalation and eye exposure \u2014 when eyewear or respiratory gear doesn\u2019t fit well, debris or chemicals can more easily get into eyes and airways.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Paige Martonik, Reston, Virginia-based safety manager for DPR Construction, provided the same example as Roose and Guadarrama:\u00a0a baggy vest catching on a door. Switching to a more tailored vest that fits her better has made doing her job easier and boosted confidence, Martonik said, adding she\u2019d never go back to a looser fit.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The baggy or loose clothing like Roosa, Guadarrama and Martonik have had to wear can create new, more serious dangers. Beyond catching on a doorknob or hindering mobility, gloves or other loose clothing can get tangled in heavy, rotating machine parts, putting the worker\u2019s body at higher risk.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Even without a specific exposure, poorly fitting fall harnesses, for example, can pinch or ride up, cutting off circulation or creating a choking hazard, Bunting said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A worker issue, not a women issue<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

Bunting said there is a correlation between lack of or improper use of PPE and jobsite injuries.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In response to a separate <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>survey from CPWR<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> about fall incidents across the industry, nearly half of respondents said no protection was in use at the time of a recent fall. In about one in four cases where workers died in falls, they had <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>access to personal fall arrest systems<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>, but did not use them, according to an analysis of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Even wearing poor-fitting PPE can give the impression \u2014 outward to others or inward to the worker wearing it \u2014 that they are safe and protected when they are not.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf the PPE is not properly sized, it will not fully protect the worker and will give a false sense of security,\u201d Martonik said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

And it is not just women who need access to the right size and kind of PPE.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere are many male workers in all different shapes and sizes who don\u2019t fit into PPE created for the average-sized American man,\u201d Bunting said. \u201cThankfully manufacturers have begun developing more sizes and focus more on women\u2019s workwear.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In its informal survey, Bunting said, CPWR asked women if they had experienced difficulty obtaining PPE that fits them well at work. Nearly nine in 10 said yes. That said, some respondents indicated they have found and purchased PPE on their own, and thought therefore it wouldn\u2019t be tough for employers to do so on their behalf.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The right fit<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

The demand for construction labor is high: the industry needs <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>half a million more workers in 2023<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>. Traditionally, it\u2019s been a male-dominated industry, but that has shifted slightly in recent years: <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>14% of workers in construction<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> are women, the highest it\u2019s ever been. That includes both office and field employees..<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

But those underrepresented groups need to feel a sense of belonging to stick around.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n