Saudi Aramco has taken a fresh look at its range of personal protective equipment (PPE) and initiated a project to enhance the company’s line of flame resistant clothing (FRC), including specific designs for the female workforce.

“Aramco’s priority has always been the protection of its people, and when the topic of gender and comfort was brought forward, we immediately set about addressing this,” said Loss Prevention Department (LPD) manager Ghassan Abulfaraj.

“A one-size-fits-all approach to PPE can undermine a safety program,” said Abulfaraj. “PPE is essential for the protection of our employees, and an important part of this is ensuring that equipment is not only compliant from a safety perspective, but also comfortable to wear.”

Depending on their role, operational employees and contractors wear a range of PPE, including flame resistant clothing, boots, gloves, hard hats, safety glasses, and hearing protection.

Aramco has signed with DuPont, one of the world’s leading companies in terms of science and innovation, to customize an FRC line that improved comfort and met cultural requirements, all while ensuring that all safety guidelines were maintained.

Over a period of 18 months, LPD and Du Pont worked on a number of design concepts that not only looked to improve design and comfort from a safety perspective, but also ensure that cultural requirements were met.

The result was a new line of female FRC, inclusive of shirts and hijabs, which meets the requirements of safety, culture and comfort for the wearer. It includes:

•    A double-layered flame resistant shirt, which features an integrated inner layer that allows female employees to maintain a conservative style without being exposed to potential burn injuries

•    A flame resistant wrapped-around headscarf

•    A flame resistant hood-type headscarf.

While all personnel exposed to fire hazards must wear FRC as a final layer of protection, the use of the new flame resistant shirt is optional; employees can continue to use standard coveralls, or regular pants and shirt if they choose, a company statement said.

“Across Aramco’s multiple operations – both in Kingdom and around the world — we want all of our people to feel welcome, and that they belong,” said Aali M Al Zahrani, vice president of Safety and Industrial Security. – TradeArabia News Service