Protective-gear shortfalls plague women across industries

September 15, 2025

DENVER — That a slip, trip and fall in an industrial setting could be the result of ill-fitting personal protective equipment is an issue that safety professionals are just beginning to understand, according to Amy Roosa, Ames, Iowa-based founder and CEO of The Safety Rack, a nonprofit that advocates for proper PPE and workwear for women in trades.

Ms. Roosa, who also works at Arthur J. Gallagher as a risk manager, spoke Monday at the National Safety Council Congress and Expo, presenting the findings of a survey of 500 women working in a variety of industries that found 94% have had issues with PPE, as many women are smaller than the average male.

The issue is pressing for construction, in particular, as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in 2024 amended its PPE standard for the construction industry, explicitly requiring that equipment properly fit any construction worker who needs it. She noted that the number of women employed in a variety of trades, such as welding, is on the rise, and that the new concern is not “equality” but “equity.”

“Equality is that everybody gets a safety vest; equity is we get one that fits,” she said.

Ms. Roosa said other industries should take note of OSHA’s move, as protective clothing, such as pants that are too long, can cause a person to trip — and the risks from there run the gamut. Sleeves can get caught on machines. Helmets and gloves can fall off. Constant adjustments to clothing and equipment can be a distraction, so much that a worker might forgo wearing them, or alter them so much that the employer could be out of compliance, she said.

The survey, conducted by The Safety Rack, found that 50.6% of women said they “often” made adjustments to PPE due to poor fit. The survey also found what Ms. Roosa referred to as eye-opening numbers when it comes to injuries: one out of five women reported being injured by their PPE, and two out of five reported that they suffered a near-miss accident as a result of PPE that was too large.

Poorly-fitting PPE is also a concern for both smaller and larger males, many whom have suffered in silence, she added.

“There’s this big gap in understanding and education when it comes to PPE,” she said.