There have never been more options for personal protective equipment (PPE) designed to fit women’s bodies; however, a significant gap remains between what’s available and what women need to keep them safe in the workplace.
This gap was a major discussion point during OHS Canada’s ProtectHer Women’s Safety Leadership and PPE Symposium, convened virtually on March 19.
“PPE that’s ill-fitting will not protect us against the hazards in the workplace,” said Amy Roosa, founder of The Safety Rack. “If it doesn’t fit well, I’m probably not going to wear it, or, worst case scenario, it actually contributes to me becoming a walking hazard in the workplace.”
According to The Safety Rack’s Equity In Safety Report – a global survey of more than 500 women across a range of industries – this isn’t a rare experience. The survey found 21 per cent of respondents had personally experienced a situation where ill-fitting PPE caused an injury.
Roosa pointed to over-sized hard hats that shift when a female employee moves around the work site and eye protection that leaves exposed gaps on a woman’s face, which is typically narrower than a man’s, as everyday situations where unisex or poorly fitting PPE can fail to protect women.
She also cited foot protection as a challenge, noting the industry has historically relied on a “shrink it and pink it” approach to women’s footwear. “They took a man’s shoe and they shrunk it down and thought it was okay for women’s feet when, in reality, the way we walk and the way our weight is distributed is vastly different,” Roosa explained. “We’re not small men. These are major things we need to take into consideration when we’re protecting women.”
Quantifying differences between men’s and women’s bodies
Sally Morse, co-founder and director of Spectra Supply, explored some of these anthropometric differences between men and women during her discussion on work gloves and hand safety.
Morse presented a study that analyzed hand measurements taken from over 6,000 U.S. Army personnel. The study found the mean hand breadth in males was 8.83 cm versus 7.82 cm in females. It also revealed that 71.4 per cent of women had a hand breadth between 7.35 cm and 8.05 cm.
“So, in the development of gloves, you don’t have to have a large variation in the width because within that 1 cm range… 71.4 per cent of the females are captured in that size range,” Morse explained.
When it came to hand circumference, the mean measurement for males was 21.23 cm versus 18.66 cm for women.
“This is where you see a little bit more variation between the male and female hand,” Morse explained. She also noted 74.4 per cent of females fell within hand circumferences of 17.55 cm and 19.55 cm.
“That’s a really good starting point, as a manufacturer, to get many of the population in your size range,” Morse said. “If you have your medium in that 74.4 per cent, then you can go down or up from those numbers [for other sizes].”
‘Gravity doesn’t discriminate based on gender’
Anthropometric differences between men and women can also be barriers to the comfort and safety of fall protection. Roosa noted this equipment is “notorious” for being uncomfortable for women. “We’re not just looking at being comfortable in the chest when we’re wearing our fall protection, but also in the pelvic floor area when we’re walking and moving around with it on,” she noted.
Andrea Martin, district sales manager at White Cap Supply, observed that discomfort can deter workers from properly wearing their fall protection equipment.
“I have gone on to many sites and what I notice is that 90 per cent of the workers who are working at heights wearing fall protection gear are not wearing it properly, regardless of the gender,” said Martin.
She offered the following tips for anyone – male or female – who relies on fall protection to keep them safe when working at heights: (1) When choosing a vest harness, it should align with the wearer’s armpits or sit six to eight inches below their chin. (2) The back D-ring should align with the wearer’s shoulder blades. (3) The leg straps should be loose enough to allow a flattened hand to pass through, but tight enough that a fisted hand cannot.
Martin also stressed the importance of adhering to the height and weight guidelines provided by the equipment’s manufacturer; don’t assume a worker can wear the same size from one brand to the next. This is especially true for women, who may need more slack to adjust their equipment to a proper fit.
“In one manufacturer’s harness, I’m a standard size; in another manufacturer’s harness, I flutter at the far end of the small, which means that it’s just probably not going to fit me correctly, and it’s going to be too small for my body, so I’m going to move myself up into a medium,” Martin explained. “The larger sized gear may require more adjustments to get a proper fit, but it’s also more likely to allow for the full range of adjustments required.”
Throughout her talk, Martin stressed the need for women to ensure proper fit in their fall protection because “gravity doesn’t discriminate based on gender.”
Improving access to female-specific PPE
The Safety Rack’s survey found just 30 per cent of respondents had access to female-specific PPE in their workplace. When it came to workplace policies or initiatives aimed at addressing the unique sizing and fit requirements of women, just 17 per cent said they existed in their workplace.
To address this, Roosa urged employers to take four steps: (1) evaluate existing PPE programs and policies, conduct job hazard analyses, and host a focus group; (2) review current PPE offerings and seek feedback from the female workforce; (3) work with distributors and manufacturers to source female-specific PPE; and (4) re-evaluate PPE annually to gain insights into what is and isn’t working for those who use it.
“If you’re not an employer or you don’t have a say over policies and procurement decision-making, you are still an ally and an advocate in this space,” Roosa concluded. “So advocate for inclusive sizing and design in your workplace, support the policy changes where you can … and do your own awareness and education. As we advocate for more women to be involved in this process of design and selection of PPE, the quicker we’re going to close this gap.”
Where do we go from here?
The symposium closed with a panel discussion focused on the next steps to improve the design of and access to PPE specifically for women. One theme that emerged from that conversation was the need for awareness and education at all levels.
“In order to really get to that next step, one of the things we need to do a better job of is educating workers, supervisors and employers on what is fit,” said Jennifer Teague, vice-president of research and education at CSA Group. “We can make this stuff fit for form, for function, and with good design.”
Allison MacDougall, territory sales manager with PIP Canada, noted health and safety legislation across Canada does little to answer questions of fit, with some provinces – such as Alberta – merely stipulating that an employer must ensure the use of PPE doesn’t itself endanger the worker.
“Here we are, we’re putting women in all of this really large clothing or not properly fit harnesses, so we’re not actually meeting the standard,” MacDougall said. “I think it’s super important for us as manufacturers to get out there and educate people that, yes, you’re going to have to carry additional inventory, but it’s going to keep workers safe.”
Leslie Molin, market segment manager for personal safety at Levitt-Safety, confirmed that these conversations have been moving the needle. “More vendors are designing specifically for women. They are reaching out to us and asking where there are gaps in their product offering, and we’re happy to gather that information and feed it back to them,” she said. “The other thing I’m seeing is a dedicated catalogue specifically for women’s PPE.”
Molin believes it’s important to start teaching women about PPE geared to their unique needs early in their careers. “We are starting to see a lot of women at an early age going to trade schools,” she said. “If that message can get out to them while they’re in trade schools and perhaps they have the right PPE at that level, they will take that into their work life.”
During the conversation, Elif Belgen, director of product management at PIP Canada, reminded the audience that there are other female issues to consider beyond fit. For example, she stated heat stress is a known risk associated with PPE, and that the risk can increase at various points throughout a woman’s menstrual cycle, menopause or pregnancy.
“We need to continue to gather information, continue the research, and then – as an industry – we need to look further at how we can help women,” Belgen said.
Molin agreed. “I think it’s more important than ever to continue to advocate and beat the drum that it’s not nice to have or a women’s issue, but it’s a safety issue.”
ProtectHer was made possible by Gold Sponsors Levitt-Safety and PIP, and Bronze Sponsor WSIB Ontario.
The keynote, presentations, and panel discussion are all available to watch on-demand at https://www.ohscanada.com/virtual-events/protecther-the-womens-safety-leadership-ppe-symposium-2025/.
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