At last, high-vis protective clothing for the female form

Following extensive customer research, a UK-based safety specialist has launched a line of high-visibility protective work-wear designed just for women.

Hull-based Arco Ltd says it convened a working group with customers who complained that women too often had to make do with large and ill fitting personal protective equipment (PPE) designed for men.

What we’ve seen in our industry for far too long is women simply supplied with small men’s sizes– Richard Sansom, Arco

Arco says the result is a collection of "practical, stylish hi-vis hazardwear that now fits a woman’s body shape properly, whilst delivering a high level of protection to keep them safe at work".

"Protective clothing is often more of a hindrance, providing a trip hazard due to ill-fitting sizes – which goes against the protective aim of the PPE," Arco recorded one working group member as saying.

Launching the range, Richard Sansom, product and procurement manager at Arco said, "What we’ve seen in our industry for far too long is women simply supplied with small men’s sizes which are not designed to fit the contours or proportions of the female body."

The garments come in standard women’s sizing, for example 8, 10, 12, as opposed to the traditional small, medium and large for men.

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Photograph: A model shows a sample from the new live of women’s PPE (Arco)