AtkinsRéalis 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).
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 V-Gard® 930.
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.”
(Pic: AtkinsRéalis)
