Work-Wear - Health and Safety Issues For Women in the US Construction IndustryPosted by Wentworth Levy on July 21st, 2021 In the United States the duty for safety and health issues operate comes underneath the remit from the United States Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). In the construction industry there's input supplied by the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH), a completely independent committee that offers one more viewpoint to OSHA on construction safety issues. Usually whenever a risk assessment has become done and it has become decided PPE is necessary to the workers little thought adjusted to the following consideration: · Is it suitable and appropriate for the risks involved and for the environment in which it will be used? & read ; Does it prevent or adequately control the risks involved without improving the overall amount of risk? · Has the condition of health of people employees who will likely be wearing the PPE been considered? · What include the needs from the job and also the demands it places about the wearer, for example restricted vision, just how long the PPE has to be worn and also the physical demands the PPE places around the wearer? · Can the proper level of training be provided at the appropriate time? If these basic questions ended up asked there would not need been the outcry 20 years ago from a lot of women in the construction industry inside the US, certainly the women of Chicago (CWIT - Chicago Women In Trades) and those women making their voices heard in NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety). Unfortunately, many in the issues they raised then have yet to be addressed satisfactorily. In regard to PPE the ladies complained that there were few if any smaller sizes available - considering the first point in the above list as well as the 2nd and also the fourth points too, this complaint could easily be addressed if comfort and fit had been about the mind of the company buyer to blame for PPE. Outsize clothing is at itself a hazard! Yet employers felt these were meeting that is a standards and that the ladies were whining on 'fashion/fit' grounds rather than on occupational safety. Clothing or equipment that isn't sized, or won't fit, properly can compromise personal safety. It also may not function effectively within the manner in which it absolutely was designed. The report stated that, "Poor fit compromises the safety provided by the garment or equipment. The lack of appropriate PPC and PPE might cause serious safety and health risks for women, and men of smaller sizes, who depend on protective clothing and equipment to assist them keep safe. Having inadequate or ill-fitting clothing, boots, gloves, or safety equipment presents a safety hazard for virtually any worker." It seems there has been little effort to take into consideration small physique of women and also the dimensions for safety workwear like ear, head, and face protection in women's sizes. Footwear and gloves were often inadequate or perhaps suitable for female workers in construction, which can be on account of unavailability (ie, manufacturers don't make or distributors don't stock), limited availability, or lack of understanding among employers and workers about where equipment made for a female's structure can be purchased. It is not a good enough excuse.Like it? Share it! More by this author |