Why does PPE need to be designed specifically for women?

Women generally have smaller and narrower features than men. PPE designed with the male figure in mind can fit poorly on women, creating gaps in eye protection, loose hard hats, and oversized gloves — all of which reduce protection and can introduce new hazards on the job.

What are the main categories of PPE that need to fit women properly?

The six main categories are head protection (hard hats, helmets), hand protection (gloves), eye and face protection (goggles, glasses, face shields), hearing protection (earplugs, earmuffs), foot protection (safety shoes, toe guards), and body protection (jackets, leggings, high-visibility clothing).

What are the risks of ill-fitting PPE for women?

Ill-fitting PPE can create additional hazards rather than preventing them. Loose helmets fail to protect against falling objects, oversized gloves can catch in machinery, gaps in safety glasses allow debris through, and poorly fitting harnesses may not arrest a fall correctly.

How should employers address PPE fit for women in a JSA?

Employers should specify women-specific PPE in their Job Safety Analysis, ensure all workers test their PPE for proper fit before use, and source equipment from manufacturers that produce PPE sized for women. OSHA requires that PPE fit each affected employee properly.

PPE for Women

Last updated: April 1, 2026

Women in the Workforce

The role of women in the workforce has been evolving over the years to include not only office work, but employment in the field as well. Within the realm of construction, for example, a recent study concluded that 10% of construction workers are made up of women, which is over 1,100,000 people. The industry is growing, and women need to be set up for success in whatever field of work they choose to be involved in. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that is to be worn when working in potentially dangerous situations is a requirement by the Occupational Safety and Health Organization (OSHA) to prevent injury or death and is something that manufacturers have failed to modify for women. When considering hazard safety, establishing Job Safety Analyses (JSAs) to include Personal Protective Equipment is a necessary part of the plan and it’s important to have PPE available that will fit men and PPE for women.

Personal protective equipment designed for women in construction — Image Credit: eLCOSH

It’s Not A “One Size Fits All”

The purpose of PPE is for protection and when a worker is made to wear PPE that does not fit properly, it can actually create even more of a hazard for that employee. As a worker putting themselves in a hazardous situation, it is of the upmost importance that all women, men as well, test out their given PPE to ensure it fits properly and allows for unrestricted movement. Traditionally, women have smaller and narrower features than men so sharing unisex, or PPE designed with the male figure in mind can be problematic. Employers must do their due diligence as well when purchasing PPE for their employees. Manufacturers also have a responsibility for developing proper fitting PPE for women and the Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety & Health has compiled a list of companies to shop from here.

The Six Main Forms of PPE

There are 6 main forms of PPE:

Head Protection: When faced with ill-fitting headwear, such as loose helmets due to cranial size being too large or straps not being able to fasten tightly, there is a risk of lack of protection from falling or swinging objects.
- Hard hats
- Helmets
Hand Protection: Being equipped with hand protection that does not fit properly can present possibilities of fingers being stuck in machinery, contamination from chemicals, or even burns and cuts.
- Gloves
Eye and Face Protection: Without proper fitting eye and face protection, debris can easily bypass the gaps in glasses causing serious damage and the face is vulnerable to cuts and burns.
- Safety goggles
- Safety glasses
- Face shields
- Visors
- Welding shields
Hearing Protection: Adequate hearing protection is a requirement for work that involves high-sound levels to prevent hearing loss or damage. When plugs or headphones are not the proper size, sound waves can still permeate the equipment.
- Earplugs
- Acoustic foam
- Noise meter
Foot Protection: Accurate sized footwear is necessary to protect against slips/falls, temperature, falling objects, etc.
- Toe guards
- Safety shoes
Body Protection: From protecting yourself from the elements to making yourself highly visible to others, there are varying forms of body protection PPE that is needed to fit properly to be efficient in providing protection.
- Leggings
- Jackets
- Visibility clothing

Injury Statistics

The statistics don’t lie regarding the risk women face due to lack of proper PPE. The New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH) disclosed that between 2003 and 2010, an average of 15–1,101 women died annually in construction sites and on average 32 per 10,000 women workers were injured on site (compared to 154 per 10,000 men).

PPE in Your Job Safety Analysis

In Job Safety Analyses (JSAs), employers must consider the specific needs of women and their Personal Protective Equipment. It’s not appropriate to assume a “one size fits all” or men’s sizes will be efficient in protecting women workers from hazardous situations. Using programs such as JSABuilder has made generating JSAs incredibly effortless while meeting all the requirements to be Occupational Safety and Health Organization compliant. At jsabuilder.com, you can go through the simple step-by-step process of putting together a JSA form explaining all the appropriate PPE needed to perform tasks safely.

JSABuilder makes it easy to include women-specific PPE requirements in your Job Safety Analysis.

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