The NIOSH Protective Clothing Challenge—Leaving No Body Unprotected
Provide better-fitting protective clothing for the full spectrum of U.S. workers
Other Funding
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Program Type
Other Funding
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Funding Award
$55,000
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Submission Deadline
June 30th, 2022 @ 2:00 pm PDT
U.S. workers require protective clothing that fits properly to perform their jobs safely. Protective clothing that fits poorly can compromise safety and performance of people as they work, resulting in injuries and lost-time to those trying to do their jobs and risks to those around them. Unfortunately, for many workers, finding properly fitting protective clothing is harder than it should be.
Traditional sizing approaches do not accommodate the shapes and sizes of all workers, and current designs and knowledge management materials (e.g., training) for protective clothing may not support differences that arise from important religious or cultural practices. Typical procurement approaches financially reward large-quantity purchases, which can negatively impact the availability of some protective clothing by creating a disincentive for manufacturers to make and distributors to carry lower-volume products. Further, access to protective clothing that meets the needs of all workers when and where that clothing is needed (i.e., the point of use) can be disrupted by a myriad of logistics challenges within the work environment.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seeks your help in generating innovative solutions to address the above issues. These solutions will help to ensure that protective clothing designs and supporting guidance allow for safe use by all workers with these designs being equitably available in the marketplace and at the point of use. Solutions should consider the broad spectrum of U.S. workers in relation to factors that may influence fit such as body size and shape, gender, race, ethnicity, religious or cultural practices, or specific work tasks.
PMGR: NIOSH — Where Occupational Safety and Health Intersects with Preventive Medicine
The August 2021 Preventive Medicine Grand Rounds features Dr. Randall Nett, Chief of the Field Studies Branch in the Respiratory Health Division at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Dr. Nett will help Preventive Medicine learners understand the background and mission of NIOSH, key activities at NIOSH, and examples of how work at NIOSH helps protect the health of the nation’s workers. Safeguarding worker health is often an underappreciated aspect of Preventive Medicine.
Background:
Within NIOSH, the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) serves as the division devoted to research, evaluation, testing, and standards related to personal protective equipment (PPE) for U.S. workers. NPPTL’s expanding portfolio includes promoting equitable PPE protections for the full spectrum of U.S. workers. NIOSH NPPTL seeks innovators who can help meet this ambitious challenge. As part of its commitment to promoting equitable PPE protections,
The Challenge supports NIOSH NPPTL’s efforts to provide equitable PPE protections for all U.S. workers by identifying solutions in relation to factors that may influence protective clothing fit. These solutions may address protective clothing use, acceptability, knowledge, availability, or access challenges for any of the following protective clothing types: medical gowns, firefighter turnout coats and pants, and protective coveralls described in more detail below.
The Need for Properly Fitting Protective Clothing
Examples of identified gaps to be considered in this challenge include:
