AtkinsRéalis redesigns its hard hats to make them more inclusive

The company said that the modified design would allow wearers to make adjustments to accommodate their individual hair type as well as some religious headwear.

It worked with PPE manufacturer MSA to produce the modified hard hat, leading to the production of the V-Gard 930.

The V-Gard 930 shell and Fas-Trac III suspension system adds more space for braided hair as well as long hair, according to AtkinsRéalis.

It claimed that the hard hat, which also features a chin strap, is more secure on the head and therefore safer to wear for men and women with any hair type. It can also adjust to fit a range of different head sizes.

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.

Image courtesy of AtkinsRéalis

“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.”

Buhinja spoke with MSA and worked with them to identify a hard hat from their range that takes those challenges into account.

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.”

James Butler, managing director for project and programme services at AtkinsRéalis added, “If we want to create construction sites that welcome all people, we have to remove as many barriers as we can to attract more people from all backgrounds into the sector, and make it as easy as possible for everyone to perform their work safely and comfortably.

“This initiative is a brilliant example of small changes that can have a big impact, and AtkinsRéalis has been proud to support Laurienne to turn an idea into a reality that can be rolled out on sites across the UK and Ireland.”