A new report published by CSA Group, Canadian Women’s Experiences with Personal Protective Equipment in the Workplace, found only six per cent of women say PPE they wear is designed for them.
The report looks at the current state of how PPE is meeting the needs of women and includes first-hand experiences, said Jennifer Teague, vice-president of standards research and planning with CSA Group. It’s based on the results of a survey of nearly 3,000 Canadian women from different sectors.
According to the report, the three most common problems the women surveyed have are: it does not fit properly (50 per cent); it is uncomfortable to wear (43 per cent); and the selection of women-specific PPE is inadequate (35 per cent).
They reported they use PPE that is the wrong size at least some of the time (58 per cent); they don’t wear all the required PPE at work because of issues with fit (28 per cent); and they use a workaround to make their PPE fit (38 per cent).
“As we are looking at labour shortages in key sectors, we have more women entering the trades and all people should have a right to be protected equally through their PPE,” said Jennifer Teague, vice-president of standards research and planning with CSA Group. “It’s something that we really need to take a close look at and be mindful of when we’re providing PPE for our workforce, that we give women an opportunity to access…the same level of protection as their male colleagues. It’s important to their sense of safety but also to feel confident in what they do.”
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