National Safety Month: Our Role in the Right Fit PPE for All

June is National Safety Month, an annual observance sponsored by the National Safety Council designed “to help keep each other safe from the workplace to anyplace.”

We cannot think of a better time than during National Safety Month to celebrate our rich heritage, proud history, and steadfast commitment to quality, comfort, and craftsmanship. Since 1905, Red Wing Shoe Company has had a clear, singular purpose: to make a lasting difference in people’s lives. While the company has experienced extraordinary growth and continuous evolution over the last 117 years, our legacy of quality will never change. And all of it centers around a fundamental belief that keeping people safe and protected, “from the workplace to anyplace,” is how we can make the biggest difference of all.

A Legacy of Protecting Workers

From soldiers to steelworkers. Cement manufacturers to coal miners. HVAC technicians to hunters. Electricians to engineers and everything in between. Millions of people around the world have put their trust in us to deliver products built with their performance, comfort, and safety in mind. We have proudly protected generations of workers.

Today, we have nearly 1,000 styles of footwear (estimated 600 in workwear) and approximately 400 accessories, such as safety glasses and gloves. All go through internal testing to ensure they meet or exceed industry standards. Each is purposefully built and crafted based on the consumers’ unique and individual needs. And it is in this commitment to ensuring that every customer has access to the products that are right for them, and with their safety at the center, that Red Wing Shoe Company differentiates itself.

We are excited about the progress we have made in closing the gender gap and ensuring equity with respect to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for female workers.

A survey by AXIS Network, in partnership with Step Change in Safety, reported that 62 percent of women said their coveralls didn’t fit effectively and 51 percent said their outerwear/jacket wasn’t suitably sized. In the fall of 2021, we made a call for change in the North Sea offshore industry to improve the safety of female workers.

Women of Red Wing Shoes Leading the Call for Change

Dez Y., Sr. HR Business Partner in Red Wing Shoes’ Outfitters PPE business, is among those most vocal in leading the call for action. “It’s not just about comfort or looks, it’s about safety and we have a duty as an industry to keep everybody as safe as possible,” she said in a media statement in October 2021.

“Women not having the right PPE is something that has been accepted for too long, and the solution is out there… We know from our research that women working offshore and the purchasing teams buying products on their behalf, don’t fully understand why women’s PPE is so important. They also are not aware of the tools they need to find the right fitting coverall for them.

Thanks to innovations such as our Right Fit Toolkit, we made it easy for purchasing and procurement professionals to choose the most effective and safest kit for their employees. The toolkit includes a visual sizing guide and correct fit instructional video for offshore companies.

Amy K., Sr. Product Line Merchant, is another member of the Red Wing family at the forefront of this call to action. “Women just want to be treated fairly and have their safety concerns listened to,” she advises.

“We regularly ask women what they need and want from PPE, and the answer is simple – equality, whether that is in something as straightforward, like the color of their kit or PPE that’s in the same style as their male counterparts. Something as simple as going to the toilet is made incredibly difficult for women due to the PPE they are issued with. That’s not right. To address that challenge, we have developed one-piece coveralls, with innovative zipper placement that allows easy toilet access.”

In addition to PPE, Kristin H. Sr. Director, Global Product Creation, helped spearhead initiatives to improve the safety and performance of footwear for the female worker. “Safety footwear, in particular, is a personal and crucial purchase for workers. Historically, it’s often been even more difficult for female workers to find the right footwear that fits well and still provides the comfort and protection needed on the job,” Kristin shared in an interview with Safety and Health Magazine.

“From the arch to the heel, a woman’s foot is different than a man’s foot. Footwear providers and product teams have the opportunity to develop footwear that fits properly by using gender-specific lasts (a foot-shaped form) and patterns to ensure the best fit possible. In addition, the right size and width of a work boot can help ensure all-day comfort and minimize the chances of injury.”

An Eye Toward the Future and Innovation

While Red Wing Shoes has made significant strides over the years to keep workers safe, we are equally committed to protecting future workforce generations. Thanks to our ongoing focus on innovation, we are well underway in ensuring the workers of tomorrow will be kept just as safe.

In March 2021, we launched our AI-driven Ultimate Fit Experience across all 500+ Red Wing Shoe retail stores in the U.S. to help customers build a customized fit system (boot, insole, and sock), starting with a personal assessment of their work environment conditions and safety requirements. The Ultimate Fit Experience then uses 3D mapping technology to create an image of your feet and completes stride analysis to determine the correct footbed. This helps to determine the best fit possible for the customer based on foot shape and job requirements.

What’s more, our Red Wing for Business portal provides digital solutions to streamline customers’ safety programs and maximize crew safety. This is just another example of the leaps we have made to make it easier and more convenient for employers to find the best safety footwear for their employees’ unique work environment.

As we continue to innovate, evolve, and grow as a company, we will never stop striving to make a lasting difference in people’s lives. And we can only marvel at how many more millions of customers around the world we will be able to protect and keep safe, thanks to our legacy of craftsmanship, commitment to quality, and focus on doing the right thing.

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