Access to properly fitting personal protective equipment for female construction workers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Dropkin J ; Freund A ; Hashim D ; Lucchini RG ; McCann M ; Meyer, J. D. ; Onyebeke LC ; Papazaharias DM ; Sanchez SH ; Zuckerman NC ; Dropkin J ; Freund A ; Hashim D ; Lucchini RG ; McCann M ; Meyer, J. D. ; Onyebeke LC ; Papazaharias DM ; Sanchez SH ; Zuckerman NC
• Description:
  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. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Construction Industry Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Protective Clothing Safety Sex Characteristics Women
• Keywords:
  Anthropometry Author Keywords: Focus Groups Construction Construction Industry Construction Workers Equipment Design Female Fit Testing Footwear Gender Factors Gloves Harnesses Human Factors Engineering Personal Protective Equipment Protective Clothing Protective Equipment Safety Safety Equipment

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• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article ; Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New Jersey ; New York ; OSHA Region 2
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health ; Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America ; North America
• Volume:
  59
• Issue:
  11
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20048265
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2016 Nov; 59(11):1032-1040
• Contact Point Address:
  Demetrios M. Papazaharias, MPH, Department of Preventive Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1057, New York, NY 10029
• Email:
  demetrios.papazaharias@mssm.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• Performing Organization:
  Mount Sinai School of Medicine
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  20270630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5f19f79794ce1921699482ab9b3810ff88441bd763528e302f693df4746631ad0a958ecf75f04c2754fbec58783f40232741d78117066bb645dc8f1a8025074c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/203063/cdc_203063_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 102.98 KB ]