Even though men primarily dominate the industry, the number of women who work in industrial-type jobs has steadily increased over the years. That means the demand for PPE specifically made for women is growing as well. Most companies have been making their clothes unisex to appeal to this rising demographic. However, we’d argue that’s not good enough, which is the reason we decided to go over why there needs to be more women’s fire-resistant clothing available from retailers.
Why Unisex Isn’t Good Enough
In most apparel markets, the existence of unisex clothing is fine. Unfortunately, when you’re working around heavy machinery, having a loose-fitting shirt or pair of pants on you can be a problem. The baggy article of clothing could get trapped and sucked into the machine, pulling you with it. Normally a person could roll up their sleeves or bunch areas where it’s not tight to the skin, but both approaches make the fire resistance less effective.
Additional Clothing Women Need
On top of that, women need additional clothing that men don’t. The most notable inclusion is the bra. If fires are a regular hazard in your line of work, you’ll need undergarments that won’t catch fire through your fire-resistant outerwear. Unisex apparel isn’t really an option here, so women need products specifically made for them. Some companies have started to make FR bras, but it’s still a growing market.
Another key difference is women typically have longer hair than men, which means it can catch on fire much more easily. Fortunately, there are solutions such as cutting your hair, putting it in a ponytail, or wearing a fire-resistant hairnet, but not all of these are ideal choices for women.
What You Should Do In the Meantime
Until more companies realize why there needs to be more women’s fire-resistant clothing, the best thing for you to do is support companies that are already selling them. Lucky for you, you’ve already found one. We have a wide selection of fire-resistant women’s clothing, and we’re trying to expand it all of the time. As long as women keep shopping for female-specific FR clothing, other companies will begin to realize that there’s a market for it and start to expand their product lines as well.