The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has launched a major new initiative to address widespread inequalities in PPE provision across the construction industry.

The #PPEthatfits campaign will drive awareness around the lack of inclusive PPE in the market and consider how this is impacting health and safety on site, while also hampering the industry’s ability to attract and retain a more diverse workforce. The campaign also features a directory of suppliers who provide #PPEthatfits and this will be updated regularly.

CIOB, in partnership with Construction Management and CIOB People, will use the campaign to explore the key changes that are needed across the industry, as well as highlighting positive examples of inclusive and adaptive PPE. If you want to support the campaign, please get in touch here.

The campaign defines #PPEthatfits as:

“PPE that fits the wearer properly, regardless of their gender, culture, religion, size or shape, is safe, and compliant with health and safety regulations.”

The three key objectives of the campaign are:
1. Construction organisations to ask suppliers to provide #PPEthatfits for their workforce.
2. PPE manufacturers to make #PPEthatfits.
3. Manufacturing standards for PPE to address gender, religious, cultural considerations.

Speaking at a recent roundtable event to mark the launch of the campaign, CIOB president Sandi Rhys Jones insisted that an urgent step-change is needed in construction’s approach to PPE, calling on contractors, manufacturers and policymakers to take action.

“At the Chartered Institute of Building, we are determined to make a difference in this area,” she said.

“These are people’s issues,” Rhys Jones added. “It’s particularly important for women, but there are men [who are important to this change] as well. We don’t want to be exclusive, we want to be inclusive.”

We want to hear about your experiences with PPE – whether it’s PPE that doesn’t fit properly or innovative manufacturers which are producing inclusive PPE.

Get in touch with Nadine Buddoo or Cristina Lago. Alternatively, share your stories on social media and support the campaign, using the hashtag #PPEthatfits.

Nadine Buddoo [email protected]
Cristina Lago [email protected]