Headscarf made that’s suitable for safety gear
DESIGNED FOR
A WOMAN working for Severn Trent Water has designed a PPE headscarf that is suitable for workers to wear under a safety helmet.
The water utility firm said it wants to encourage more women from diverse backgrounds to join the company, and the engineering industry in general, but had identified safety helmets as a potential obstacle to Muslim women who choose to wear a headscarf.
The prototype headscarf was designed by Aminah Shafiq, a senior water quality adviser.
A Severn Trent Water spokeswoman said: “We now have our first PPE headscarf available for colleagues after Aminah designed a prototype that’s suitable for Muslim women who cover their hair that’s both practical and safe to wear under helmets.
“So, anyone who has to do site visits or has an operational role now has the option to use a specific PPE headscarf on site.
“This is really exciting. It’s inclusive, and specific for women who choose to cover their heads.
“We hope this will help encourage more Muslim women to join the engineering industry, and make colleagues feel more comfortable and safe on site, while still appropriately covering their hair.”
Aminah said: “As part of my role, I’m often asked to go to many of our operational sites and, as a Muslim woman, I always found this to be tricky when it came to covering my head and the challenges it could bring.
“Sometimes there can be excess material from my headscarf that I would worry could get caught, or could mean my helmet doesn’t always fit properly.
“I didn’t want my choice of covering my head to mean I couldn’t feel safe or comfortable, so with the full support of Severn Trent, I wanted to change that and designed our first PPE specific headscarf.”
Aminah said she took inspiration from headscarves designed for athletes as they have “less material and a snug fit”.
“I really hope this headscarf will help pave the way for more Muslim women embarking on an engineering career,” Aminah said.
“I’m really proud that now any Muslim women who may have felt anxious about taking on a career in the engineering industry where PPE is required, will now have something comfortable, safe and inclusive to wear.”