Women in Trades Statistical Overview

A recent survey done by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) found that of the approximately 10 million US construction workers approximately 1 million or 10% are women. It further states that since the 2008 economic downturn, the number of women in the trades has increased by 16%.

Could the inclusion of more women in the construction ranks help to stem the skilled trade labor shortage that was kicked off during the housing downturn in 2008? The answer could lie in the fact that the BLS found that women in the US earn approximately 81.1% of what men make, but in a trade position they make 95.7%.  This potential for a higher income is an employment driver that should catch the notice of anyone hiring for the construction industry.

Women’s Personal Protective Equipment

As the number of women increase in construction how do employers keep their female employees safe on the job.  The first thing to recognize is that Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is not a one gender fits all. Women cannot simply buy the men’s equipment in a smaller size.

Women who have had to use smaller men’s PPE complain most about ill-fitting work gloves that are too large and won’t give them the dexterity and fit needed. At best it’s an annoyance. At worst excess material can get caught in a machine causing a serious accident. Some options for women include PIP’s seamless knit palm coated gloves.

Hard hats are another commodity that tends to cause problems for women. Longer hair and smaller bone features make hard hats more inclined to fall off on women.  By adding a chin strap or wearing short hair, women have found that hard hats or caps fit better and don’t fall off.

Pink Hard Hats

Recently there has been a trend is women wearing pink hard hats. Some women in the industry have expressed outrage stating that women should only wear the correct color hat for the job. They believe that wearing pink will undermine the credibility of the woman underneath the hat. Others embrace pink on the job, saying that pink hard hats make them visible from long distances and that expressing their femininity doesn’t make them any less qualified.

Conclusion

No matter what camp you’re in, everyone can agree that safety is not gender specific and that investing in PPE that fits workers properly is just good business sense. As mentioned in previous Blogs, comfort drives compliance in the workplace and buying PPE that fits correctly proves this basic concept. BlackHawk Industrial is a dedicated to working with our customers to find the best safety equipment needed for the job.

Our trained professionals are happy to help you with any of your questions. We welcome you to contact us here:  https://www.bhid.com/ContactUs or call us TOLL FREE at (855) 610-1001.