HEALTH & SAFETY
Arco signs new charter calling for inclusivity in PPE
Arco, the UK’s leading provider of safety products and services, has last week signed up to a new charter calling for inclusivity in workplace PPE.
The Protection for Everyone Charter, launched today by health and safety news publisher SHP, calls for well-fitting personal protective equipment (PPE) to be seen not just as best practice, but as the minimum standard for all.
Arco is one of the first organisations to sign up and support the charter, along with UK industry names such as National Highways, IOSH, Vodafone and Heathrow Airport.
Those who sign the charter are signing up to the following commitments:
To uphold the value that all workers deserve access to well-fitting PPE to work comfortably, with the understanding that standard sizing of PPE is not a one-size fits all.
To proactively source suitable and correctly fitting PPE to meet the individual needs of any employees who require it, with the understanding that PPE may need to be sourced from more than one supplier.
To work with any individual employee that has concerns or issues with the PPE provided to allow us to provide a suitable and well- fitting alternative
To provide inclusive PPE for all as part of our dedication to the health, safety and overall wellbeing of our employees.
To lead by example and share best practice with our contractors and suppliers.
Despite improved availability of PPE designed for women in recent years, research carried out last year by the National Association of Women in Construction (Yorkshire) found that 59.6% of women surveyed were still not being provided with it1.
Arco has previously pledged its support for SHP’s Protection for Everyone campaign, which aims to shed light on the importance of
well-fitting PPE and advocate for meaningful change on a governmental level.
Guy Bruce, chief executive of Arco, said: “At Arco, we understand that PPE is not ‘one-size fits all’, and we firmly believe everyone should have access to the right PPE to ensure they can work comfortably and safely.
“As the UK’s Experts in Safety, our core purpose is to keep people safe at work, and this means all people.
“We fully support SHP’s Protection for Everyone campaign and are proud to be among the first to the sign the charter. We encourage our partners and customers to do the same, and help to ensure safety really is for everyone.”
Katy Robinson, PPE campaigner and co-chair of the National Association of Women in Construction Yorkshire, said: “It’s fantastic that there are so many companies that have already pledged their support by signing this charter.
“It is a huge step forward in ensuring that all workers are provided with PPE that fits, to make the industry not only a safer place, but a more inclusive place, too.”
Concerning continued rise in work-related deaths in Britain
Commenting on the latest Health and Safety Executive data, showing a rise in work-related deaths in Great Britain for the second consecutive year, Dr Julie Riggs, Director of Education and Membership, British Safety Council, said: "The rise in work-related fatalities, as reported by the Health and Safety Executive, serves as a stark reminder that we cannot become complacent about the health and safety of workers. Put simply, the consequences of poor health and safety are too great a price to pay.
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"For 50 years, the general direction of travel has seen safer workplaces with falling numbers of workplace deaths and non-fatal injuries; that for a second year this trend has reversed is cause for concern. It sends a message that we need to prioritise worker health and safety, understand the causes of rising fatalities, and take targeted action to return to falling figures and safer workplaces for all."
chief executive of Arco, Guy Bruce
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