#PPEthatfits: new BSI report backs the need for inclusive PPE

The British Standards Institution (BSI) has published a white paper backing the need for inclusive PPE as a basic requirement for safe and compliant workplaces, and the milestones achieved to date in this area.

The report, titled Enabling the provision of inclusive PPE, sets out the issues that still need addressing when it comes to PPE provision across different industries, such as gender-based inequalities and legal, diversity, economic and size biases.

More than 80% of women experience one or more problems with their PPE at work, according to a study quoted in the paper.

A recent workshop conducted by the BSI and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) found that a lack of awareness of the problem, as well as misconceptions around costs and negative workplace cultures, stand in the way of adequate PPE provision.

The white paper also highlights the progress achieved around inclusive PPE, particularly in the built environment, such as the Considerate Constructors Scheme mandating women’s PPE provision across all its sites.

The report, authored by CM People editor Nadine Buddoo, has been published ahead of a new inclusive PPE standard due to be introduced this September.

BS 30417 will guide employers, manufacturers and suppliers to make informed decisions about PPE, which in turn will help to improve safety, recruitment and staff retention.

The standard has been produced by a committee of experts from diverse industries, including the built environment, and received feedback through a public consultation.

The BSI committee began drafting the standard in 2024, following the launch of CIOB’s #PPEthatfits campaign. 

#PPEthatfits was launched in 2023 to help address inequalities in the provision of PPE across the construction industry so that every worker in the industry, regardless of their gender, culture, religion, size or shape, has adequate PPE that keeps them safe.

You can read the BSI white paper here.