AtkinsRéalis, a global engineering and project management services company, has introduced more inclusive head protection for colleagues attending construction and industrial sites, in an initiative inspired by the experience of one of its own professionals who saw the need for a crucial change.
The modified hard hat design enables the wearer to make adjustments to accommodate their individual hair type and some religious headwear, ensuring a more secure fit and full protection compared to standard issue personal protective equipment (PPE). The new design is not only helping to make the industry more inclusive but also safer for those people with requirements that are different to standard issue personal protective equipment (PPE).
The new design ensures a better fit and protection on site
Laurienne Buhinja, a quantity surveyor in project and programme services at AtkinsRéalis, said: “As a black woman with braided hair, I found the conventional ‘one size fits all’ hard hat was not fit for purpose and provided less protection as a result. Construction workers today are not all one standard size and shape, or gender, and PPE equipment needs to reflect that.
“This is an issue for men and women with long hair, or hair styles and headgear for religious or cultural reasons which do not suit conventional hard hats, as well as many bald people who can find that standard issue headwear can rub and cause discomfort.”
As part of its wider commitment to delivering more inclusive workwear for colleagues, AtkinsRéalis worked with PPE manufacturer MSA to produce the modified hard hat leading to the production of the modified V-Gard® 930.
Many people, particularly women in construction, find PPE and workwear doesn’t fit well
Laurienne added: “The initiative took a step forward when I spoke to MSA and worked with them to identify a hard hat from their range that takes account of this challenge. They really listened to our needs and constraints to make it more suitable for all AtkinsRéalis colleagues.”
The V-Gard 930 shell and Fas-Trac III suspension designs offer more space for braided hair as well as long hair. This makes the hat more secure on the head and therefore safer to wear for men and women with any hair type. The hat can also adjust to fit different sized heads, large or small.
Russel Pieters, Senior Field Sales Manager for MSA said: “The requirements for our modern workforce in industrial sectors has changed over the years and this is the latest example of where PPE has had to adapt.
“We were very supportive of Laurienne’s aims and we have worked in partnership to identify the model from our range that would fit the best and which will provide more capacity for differing hair types, as well as comfort for any AtkinsRéalis colleague. We’re looking forward to making the V-Gard® 930 hard hat available to our customer base across the region.”
The modified hard hats are part of a wider campaign at AtkinsRéalis for better-fitting PPE
James Butler, managing director for project and programme services at AtkinsRéalis said: “If we want to create construction sites that welcome all people, we have to remove as many barriers as we can to attract more people from all backgrounds into the sector, and make it as easy as possible for everyone to perform their work safely and comfortably.
“This initiative is a brilliant example of small changes that can have a big impact, and AtkinsRéalis has been proud to support Laurienne to turn an idea into a reality that can be rolled out on sites across the UK and Ireland.”
The new inclusive hard hat is the latest initiative to come from AtkinsRéalis’s company-wide campaign driven by a team of individuals identifying specific needs for people who work on construction and industrial sites.
The #PPEForAll initiative gives colleagues a broader choice of PPE to enable them to select better fitting items of workwear from PPE suppliers and the campaign has also delivered sanitary disposal facilities, to ensure their availability on construction sites.
The new hard hat design is now available for AtkinsRéalis colleagues who require it.