PPE for Women: Why Fit Matters

Episode 59

PPE for Women: Why Fit Matters

Join Editor Sydny Shepard and Fastenal Safety Product Development Manager Makenzie Hoffman as they discuss personal protective equipment for women and why finding the right fit matters.

  • By Sydny Shepard
  • Mar 10, 2021

One of the biggest issues for anyone when wearing personal protective gear is ensuring you have the right fit. Oversized PPE can get in the way, reducing productivity and leading to injury risks that, otherwise, would not have been present.

The protective apparel industry has worked hard to ensure all workers have proper fitting PPE, but when it comes to PPE for women, there are some blind spots. I have been wanting to talk about this on the podcast for a while now, so I was thrilled with Makenzie Hoffman agreed to join me to talk all about protecting female workers by providing them with the right PPE.

For the past few years, Makenzie has been a leader within Fastenal addressing the lack of PPE designed for women, a key problem in the industry. Along with several other Fastenal safety professionals, Makenzie has worked directly with customers to hear the problems they are facing with their current PPE and provide safety solutions they can count on. As women continue to become a larger portion of the construction workforce, more women like Makenzie will be there to help support them.

I’m thrilled to be a woman in safety talking to another woman in safety about this key issue. Listen to our important conversation on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify and more.

A special thank you to Fastenal. 

Fastenal is a supply chain solutions company. They distribute and manage inventory on critical industrial and construction supplies. With 21,000 employees across 3,000 locations, you can find Fastenal in 26 countries. As a global product distributor with over $5 billion in annual sales, the company has an expansive logistics network. Fastenal specializes in supply chain consultation and the implementation of inventory control technologies.

With great people and great technology, Fastenal partners with customers to bring supplies, visibility, and efficiencies to their organization.

If you want to learn more about Fastenal’s Women in Construction Initiative, go to: https://pages.fastenal.com/womensppe/#

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the former editor of Occupational Health & Safety.

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