A FUNCTIONAL FIT

“I would love to see companies provide these options for their women onsite. I have struggled with poorly fitting safety vests/ harnesses and other PPE since entering the construction industry, and had to have properly fitting PPE special ordered, which took forever. With the increasing numbers of women in construction, companies need to have this PPE readily available for their female employees. As a 5’2” woman onsite, the M safety vest that was provided to me hung to mid-thigh length. When I was loaded up with tools in my vest, I had to unload everything to be able to move around properly,” says Dawson.

Crafted for the female body from heavyweight 10-oz. cotton canvas, the Classic Work Pant from Dawson Workwear features reinforced stress points, triplestitched seams, and doublelayered knees and heels for durability and longevity.

Other companies are getting the message that PPE needs to be inclusive. EllisDon, for example, recently launched a construction safety vest for women and gendernonconforming individuals who may not fit traditional safety vests. “Traditional safety vests are not built to fit women or gender-nonconforming persons, and we wanted to change that,” says Jennifer Khan, vice president of inclusive diversity. The company partnered with Toronto-based custom clothing maker Md/Safety Bespoke to produce the vests. “It is so important to feel like you belong in a workplace, and I know from personal experience what that can do mentally to you when you feel like you do not belong,” says Safety BeSpoke COO Tess Durrant.

This year EllisDon introduced safety vests for women made by Toronto’s Md/Safety Bespoke.

For Covergalls founder and CEO Alicia Woods, being fully inclusive means creating workwear that can be adjusted to changes in women’s lives. It’s the reason the Lively, ON-based company launched a maternity workwear collection.

“I’m really excited for this new addition to our collection,” says Woods. “So many women have had to create makeshift solutions due to lack of options and inaccessibility to proper PPE, myself being one. Creating maternity workwear that companies and suppliers can provide to their employees is a step in the right direction towards greater workplace equality.”

Ferenc agrees: “First and foremost I look for quality workwear, I don’t show up to work to look pretty, I do the same job as my male counterparts and I expect my clothes to work just as hard as I

Covergall’s new maternity workwear collection is made of a flame-resistant polycotton/polyester blend and includes a work shirt with longer front and a tab hem with snaps, and cargo pant with a rib knit front panel and high waist.

By Kerry Turner

Colonel Hansen joined the Canadian Forces at the age of 18, completed his undergraduate and graduate degrees at the Royal Military College of Canada, and then started military pilot training. He was selected to complete CF-18 fighter jet training at 410 Squadron. Colonel Hansen then completed two tours with 441 and 409 Tactical Fighter Squadrons.