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Access to properly fitting personal protective equipment for female construction workers
Author(s) -
Onyebeke Lynn C.,
Papazaharias Demetrios M.,
Freund Alice,
Dropkin Jonathan,
McCann Michael,
Sanchez Sadie H.,
Hashim Dana,
Meyer John D.,
Lucchini Roberto G.,
Zuckerman Norman C.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.22624
Subject(s) - personal protective equipment , medicine , focus group , thematic analysis , occupational safety and health , purchasing , construction industry , occupational exposure , operations management , work (physics) , medical emergency , qualitative research , engineering , marketing , pathology , mechanical engineering , business , construction engineering , social science , disease , covid-19 , sociology , infectious disease (medical specialty)
Background Previous literature suggests that most personal protective equipment (PPE) for construction is designed for males and does not accommodate female anthropometry. We conducted a pilot study to identify whether female construction workers currently have adequate access to properly fitting PPE. Methods Semi‐structured focus group interviews were conducted with union female carpenters, laborers, and ironworkers. Researchers coded focus group transcriptions and extracted major themes using thematic framework analysis. Results Participants (n = 23) had a mean of 15.1 years of construction experience (range 3–34.5 years). A majority reported fit problems for many types of PPE (gloves, harnesses, safety vests, work boots, outerwear), generally noting that the equipment provided by contractors was too large. Other emergent themes included female workers purchasing their own PPE, exposure to various safety hazards from poorly fitted PPE, and perceived indifferent safety culture. Conclusions Female construction workers continue to have difficulty accessing properly fitting PPE. Am. J. Ind. Med. 59:1032–1040, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.