April/May 2017 (vol. 13/6)

ContentsFeaturesNewsLegal NewsResearch DigestResearch PlusCPD

Is PPE working for women?

The problem of ill-fitting personal protective equipment for women in industry

Summary:

In the second article in our ‘Women in OH’ series, Rebecca Ghani considers if personal protective equipment for those working in hazardous industries is working for women, and asks what needs to change to keep women safe at work.

Recent research has shown that women working in hazardous industries often do not have access to correctly fitting personal protective equipment (PPE) – and in some cases the PPE can hinder rather than protect. While the issue is beginning to be acknowledged and addressed by some employers and manufacturers, researchers are now calling on industry to do more to protect women effectively. Those working in hazardous or high-risk industries rely on PPE to protect against hazards at work, ranging from respiratory and dermal PPE to protect against transmissible diseases, chemicals and radiation; to equipment to protect against physical injury, such as hard hats…

 

Rebecca Ghani is news and features writer for Occupational Health [at Work].

Author: Ghani R

Tags

Occupational Health at Work April/May 2017 (vol. 13/6) pp32-35

Download full article