A senior quantity surveyor with over eight years of experience in the construction industry is calling for a significant overhaul in personal protective equipment (PPE) tailored for women. Her advocacy highlights the urgent need to address gender-specific challenges to promote inclusivity in a traditionally male-dominated field.

Sabina Tayub, Senior Quantity Surveyor at Galliford Try, began her career in civil engineering after earning a Master of Engineering degree, and has worked across roles ranging from site engineering to quantity surveying. However, she has faced persistent issues with the design of PPE, particularly trousers, which she says fail to accommodate women's body shapes.

"The trousers themselves for females weren’t suited to the hips and curves that we have as women. They were not suited to our body. That restricted my movement to do my job safely," she explained. This design flaw directly impacted her work as an engineer, limiting her ability to carry essential tools like a tape measure.

With limited support available from the industry at the time, she sought help externally to address the issue. Her efforts have since led to a broader movement aimed at raising awareness and pushing for industry-wide change. "I feel like I made a little bit of difference, and I’m raising awareness to get PPE right for females in the industry," she said.

A Barrier to Women in Construction

The challenges posed by unsuitable PPE are part of a broader problem in the construction industry. Despite initiatives encouraging more women to enter the field, inadequate PPE undermines progress by failing to provide a safe and welcoming environment.

"If we don’t get the first things right, then how are we going to encourage it? What are we selling here?" she questioned. "If we get PPE right and say we are targeting women, we are looking after them, that is a very encouraging point to get more females in the industry. Because we feel welcomed, we feel valued, we feel like we’re looked after."

Sabina is actively collaborating with organizations such as UK Construction Week and Workwear and PPE Live to amplify the message. These partnerships aim to spotlight the need for inclusive PPE and highlight the value of women in construction.

"It’s just to broadcast that females are valued, females are taken on board, and our considerations and needs are looked after," she emphasized. "We’re very excited to work with Workwear and PPE Live to encourage more businesses and industries to get involved and raise more awareness."

A Call for Collaboration

The drive for change extends beyond individual organizations. Sabina underscores the importance of collaboration within the industry to achieve lasting results.

"In construction, you cannot deliver a project by yourself. We work as a team. And just like construction, we can only bring that change if everyone in the industry works together," she said. "My message really is that we all need to collaborate, become one, to deliver this really, really key message."

By addressing gender-specific challenges such as PPE design, the construction industry can make strides toward greater diversity and inclusion, creating a safer and more welcoming space for women to thrive.

Workwear and PPE Live is taking place as part of UK Construction Week from 7-9 May.

Learn more about the event and secure your place here.

 

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