SAFETY MEETS DIVERSITY

According to the American Petroleum Institute, diversifying the workforce has become a key priority for the oil industry. The industry expects women to fill at least 290,000 job openings out of a projected total of 1.9 million through 2035.

More than 1,000 female Halliburton oil workers in the United States need to wear fire-resistant coveralls to do their job. They typically wear protective gear cut for men to get the job done. Halliburton received feedback that the coveralls most women were wearing did not fit correctly. There are some coveralls for women on the market, but Halliburton knew they could do better for their employees.

In addition, an article from Industrial Safety & Hygiene News stated that the top complaint from women in the oil industry is ill-fitting personal protection equipment. Equal pay is the second highest complaint which reinforces the obvious importance that women place upon comfort and safety out in the field. Traditional flame-retardant coveralls are tailored for men, but women in the industry do not think that these coveralls feel good nor are they even functional. Most importantly, traditional coveralls do not fit women, which can create safety issues such as loose clothing getting caught in machinery and handrails.

Halliburton then set out to find a manufacturer who could design and build fire-resistant coveralls for women. The answer was RPS Manufacturing Solutions, who have a reputation of pioneering innovative solutions for workplace equipment. RPS Manufacturing Solutions got to work and conducted extensive focus groups to find out what women truly wanted in their protective equipment. This new line of coveralls is by Crude FR, a division of RPS Manufacturing Solutions. RPS Manufacturing Solutions recognized the need to completely innovative Crude FR coveralls for women so they partnered with the Apparel Design and Manufacturing Program at Texas Tech University, the top collegiate fashion program in the United States. RPS Manufacturing Solutions combined their industry experience with Texas Tech’s expertise about sizing and apparel technology. In fact, over 200 women were 3D scanned in order to learn about diverse body types. A pattern design system was then utilized to enable mass production and customization of the Crude FR coveralls. The new design features a Mandarin collar, a higher, cinchable waist that should hit at the natural waistline, plenty of pockets, and tailored sizing. RPS Manufacturing Solutions is proud to provide cutting-edge Crude FR fire-resistant coveralls that are as diverse as your team.