A support network for women working in construction

The Bold as Brass LinkedIn group is still a baby. We’ve only been active since July 2022. However, with already more than 200 members, the need for this space is clear. It’s a network for people identifying as women who work in heavy industry, and we’re here to make a noise.

Our mission is to be the catalyst for industrial culture change through speaking up about the things that aren’t spoken about; things that are so systemic they are almost unrecognisable. And yes, it’s going to make some people feel really uncomfortable in the short term, but we’re here to offer ways forward; we can’t change what’s already happened.

Straight away we’ve seen that there is still a real issue with high vis personal protective equipment (PPE). The female body is not the same as that of men; neither are its processes. We need our kit to be designed with breast capacity, narrow shoulders, shorter arm and leg lengths, and cuts that account for wide variations in pelvis and waist ratios.

We also have everything a man would carry on site, regardless of our hand size, and the addition of period products that need to go somewhere. So we need pockets, big ones, and lots of them.

We want to influence brand designers directly through a PPE trial we’ve started and to keep the inclusive PPE conversation going. Right now, many of our members are wearing men’s PPE. The trousers are tight on the hips and thighs, baggy and too long in the legs, as well as loose around the waist. Coats are dangerously long in the arms and don’t always have a cuff fastener, so they hang loose over the hands. To comply with EN ISO 20471, vests are like little orange tents on a petite to average sized woman. I can tie a knot in the front of mine. I’m unsure how this can be called safety equipment.

Women’s cuts can be just as poorly fitting: too tight, too long, too constrictive. We’re being told by some brands and suppliers that “there’s just no market in women’s PPE”, and by procurement departments that only buy men’s PPE that “it’s not a fashion show, just wear the men’s”. This is what the #pperevolution is about, stopping non diverse teams making decisions without input from people affected by the outcome of those decisions. This can also have a major impact on people feeling welcome in their workplace.

Our network goes further than campaigns. Connecting women with other women is an important part of Bold as Brass, we’re few and far between on site. I never had a woman’s hand on my shoulder to navigate the choppy waters of bias and boys’ club when I joined the industry. I want Bold as Brass to be that hand.

We have members from graduates to CEOs. With that lived experience, there’s always someone to ask for help, be it niche work related skill questions or something that needs a bit of guidance from an HR professional. It’s a sad fact that some workplaces in our industry are so toxic that people are scared to ask for help. This can have  obvious detrimental effects on career progression and personal growth, but inside this tribe we’ve got each other’s backs.

We’ve since set up a Bold as Brass Allies group to start conversations and spread awareness of what is really affecting women in the industry.

I’m excited about where this group is heading. Our voices are being heard, and I can’t see any way back now. We’re bold as brass, and we’re going to keep on taking up space.

• Katherine Evans is geotechnical manager for the southern region at Tarmac.