A senior British engineer has designed a PPE headscarf which she hopes will inspire Muslim women who want to pursue a career in engineering and construction.
Aminah Shafiq, from Birmingham, said her design makes it safer for women wearing a headscarf to work in operational jobs.
The 24-year-old works for Severn Trent, a water utility company.
Writing on LinkedIn, Aminah says she came up with the idea during the lockdown.
‘‘As a Muslim woman who chooses to cover my head, I always had my reservations about being in the engineering industry. My colleagues at STW (Severn Trent Water) helped me push my idea forward and got me in touch with the right people, for which I am so grateful’, she said.
Muslim women who work in fields that require safety wear have often struggled to acquire protective clothes that accommodate their dressing.
‘‘We shouldn’t have to feel uncomfortable when our helmets don’t fit over our headscarves, or anxious that the material from our headscarves will get caught in an industrial fan as a result of a freak accident. Health and safety are something we should all have the right to, and that’s what this small addition to my PPE fit will give me,’ said Amina.
Shafiq graduated in engineering two years ago and is now a senior water advisor.
She has applauded her employers for their diverse and inclusive stance.
‘’I love that I work for a company that implements such a strong diversity and inclusivity culture, as well as an even stronger health and safety culture. We’re one of the only companies in our industry to have PPE specifically designed for women who wear headscarves, and that in itself is such a huge deal.’’
‘’I am so chuffed with the outcome and I’m grateful that I was trusted to run with this project. I’d love to see this result in more companies implementing ideas like this so that every person feels catered to by who they work for,’’ she said.
Severn Trent said has identified this as a particular issue that could be a potential obstacle to Muslim women who choose to wear a headscarf for religious reasons, reports the Birmingham Mail.
It has added the headscarf to its PPE catalogue, making the product available to its 7,000 plus workforce to have as part of their usual PPE kit.
“We now have our first PPE headscarf available for colleagues after Aminah Shafiq, one of our employees, 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,” said Severn Trent Water spokeswoman.
The water firm says it hopes the move 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.’
