SHP reveals its inclusive PPE campaign with goals around awareness and legislative change.
The campaign called Protection for everyone, aims to raise awareness around the effect of ill-fitting PPE and lobby Government to bring about change.
A new mini-site on SHP hosts a suite of editorial content on the topic including news and personal experiences, and will eventually include podcasts, webinars, reports, and a specially commissioned e-book on the topic. The campaign will also have a live space at SHP’s sister event, Anticipate London.
SHP plans to work alongside a range of stakeholders including suppliers and distributors, industry bodies, and, importantly, those who have experienced ill-fitting PPE.
Key stakeholder Karl Simons OBE, hopes to pitch the campaign to Government. Simons successfully changed workplace regulation around mental health in 2020 and he suggests we could see the same result here.
“It is grossly unacceptable for anyone not to be issued suitable correctly fitting personal protective equipment while at work,” the current SHP Editorial Board Chairman said, “I applaud the handful of individuals for having the courage and confidence to share their personal stories, as this begins a wider movement that can ultimately impact Industry, effect changes in legislation and influence the supply chains as demand responds.”
Katy Robinson, Senior Project Manager at East Riding of Yorkshire Council and National Association of Women in Construction, Yorkshire Campaign Manager was recently successful in persuading the Considerate Construction Scheme to mandate female PPE across all of its sites.
Robinson is determined to raise awareness around the issue and bring long-overdue change. “It’s about time that we placed importance on the PPE that we all wear,” she said, “particularly as ill-fitting PPE can cause an increased risk of health and safety issues. Even though inclusive PPE should not be seen as best practice, it should be the minimum standard, and it’s brilliant to see that SHP is raising awareness and placing a priority on it.”
The construction industry body, the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), has a similar initiative that SHP supports and vice versa. #PPEthatfits was launched last summer and writing for SHP, current CIOB President, Sandi Rhys-Jones said the initiative would be a key focus of her tenure.”I have a year as President ahead of me, and the #PPEthatfits campaign will, I hope, drive real change and be a legacy of my time in office.
