The number of women working in the mining sector has increased significantly over the past 17 years, with the numbers growing from 11 400 in 2002 to over 53 100 today, comments female footwear brand Sisi senior brand manager Vanessa Ronald.
Sisi is one of eight brands under the BBF Safety Group, which was established after a merger of several South African safety footwear manufacturers, including Bagshaw Footwear, Beier Safety Footwear, Bronx Safety, United Frams and Wayne.
Ronald cites a recent report by Minerals Council South Africa that states that women represent about 12% of the entire mining workforce.
“However, an area that has lagged significantly in the facilitation of women’s entry into mining has been the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE), designed specifically for women miners,” she states, noting that this can be attributed to a general lack of awareness within the industry, with many overlooking the practicalities of workwear tailored to the female anatomy.
“A commonly observed trend is that many companies still procure male and/or unisex safety wear [owing] to a lack of understanding that the anatomy of a women differs greatly from that of a man and, as a result, the PPE procured should reflect that,” Ronald states.
She adds that comfort can have a profound effect on productivity, which means that ill-fitting PPE could seriously impact on a wearer’s quality of work.
Ill-fitting safety footwear and workwear lead to several issues, which include discomfort and pain, lowered productivity, absenteeism owing to health-related problems, “and even a psychological barrier to the work environment.”
Ronald cites industrial psychologist Uma Naidoo, who has said that, if workers are not comfortable in their attire, in which they spend about eight hours of the day, it could lead to frustration, poor concentration, increased breaks and many other debilitating effects on productivity.
While lauding the “many strides” made in terms of gender inclusivity, Ronald notes that the mining environment remains “tough” for women.
“It must be remembered that even performing basic bodily functions still holds significantly more challenges for women miners than their male counterparts . . . [where] women [make] use of a men’s boilersuit . . . the only way to relieve themselves is to unzip the boiler-suit and remove it in its entirety.”
Ronald says that the issue of discomfort as a result of design is a critical point that needs to be explored when considering the health and wellbeing of female workers on the mines, as well as increased productivity.
“To address this, a range of safety wear . . . has been designed through extensive research and consultation with women in the industry. This includes a ground-breaking boiler suit for women miners, which includes innovative features such as the V-flap at the back of the boiler suit to improve the ease with which women use ablution facilities and the inclusion of navy fabric between the hip and thigh area to save her the embarrassment of a sanitary-related accident.”
Ronald says the design of the boiler suit is cut according to a women’s anatomy with a narrower back area, and wider front area and shorter crotch-to-waist ratio than a man’s.
“Also, women naturally have wider hips and a more pronounced posterior, which is accommodated in the design, allowing for the elasticated waistband to rest where a women’s waist line typically is and not where a male’s waist line would be.”
She adds that, for surface mineworkers, female conti suit jackets are tailored at the back to accommodate a women’s narrower back, but broader at the front to accommodate her bust. This enables women to move freely in their jackets without restriction when moving their arms.
Ronald also points to trousers designed with a higher waist to prevent the exposure of the back and midriff regions when bending over or raising arms.
“Garments designed for men often result in trousers that sit below the belly button and place pressure on caesarean scars, and expose the upper half of a women’s posterior when she bends over. To combat this, women have tended to wear nylon tights underneath their pants for modesty purposes.”
She states that nylon does not absorb moisture, keeping the skin damp during the day, which becomes a breeding ground for bacterial and fungal infections.