Understanding the Real-World State of Women's PPE
The State of Women's PPE Survey
Survey launches October 1, 2026.
Women across industries continue to report challenges accessing personal protective equipment and workwear that fits properly, performs as intended, and works for the realities of their jobs.
This fall, The Safety Rack will launch the State of Women's PPE Survey, a global research initiative designed to better understand women's experiences with PPE and workwear across industries.
The survey will examine issues including access, fit, comfort, safety, procurement, workplace practices, and the real-world impact PPE can have on a worker's ability to perform their job safely.
Our goal is not simply to document that problems exist. We want to better understand where they occur, how they affect workers, and where employers, manufacturers, distributors, policymakers, researchers, and industry organizations have opportunities to improve worker protection.
Who Should Participate?
The survey is intended for women who wear PPE or protective workwear as part of their work across industries and occupations around the world.
More information, participation links, and opportunities for organizations to help distribute the survey will be available soon.
Research That Starts With the Worker
The Safety Rack believes improving PPE begins with understanding how protective equipment performs in the real world.
Our research focuses on the experiences of workers wearing PPE and workwear every day — identifying gaps between how equipment is designed, selected, procured, and used and what workers actually need to perform their jobs safely.
We are interested in research that moves beyond assumptions and helps produce practical, evidence-informed solutions. That includes examining fit and sizing, access, procurement, movement and task performance, wearability, injury and near-miss experiences, and differences in PPE needs across occupations and industries.
Whenever possible, we work collaboratively with researchers, employers, manufacturers, distributors, industry organizations, and workers to help turn findings into meaningful improvements in worker protection.