OnSite Support championing women in construction

To recognise International Women’s Day on 8 March, safety expert OnSite Support has announced the measures it is taking to support women in construction.

The measures seek to empower, enable, help identify challenges and celebrate success.

According to Go Construct, 37% of new employees choosing construction after university are women and approximately 14% of all construction industry professionals are now female.

As a business, OnSite is ahead of the industry, for which it supplies PPE, consumables, site welfare and equipment, in terms of gender diversity, with female employees accounting for 30% of its workforce – plans are in place to increase this by 10% over the next decade.

OnSite Support puts people at the heart of everything it does, delivering safety, welfare and site equipment for all involved in the construction trade.

As part of this effort, the company is ensuring a particular focus is placed on supporting women through its promotion of female professional development and gender-specific product ranges.

Unlike traditional unisex-style PPE garments, the company’s gender-specific products provide a better fit and are therefore more effective.

OnSite will double the items available in the female range within the next five years. Furthermore, the company is adding over 15 new products this month alone, to mark International Women’s Day, with a certain percentage of the total profits from the range being donated to a charity that supports women.

Moving forward, OnSite is also committed to providing opportunities for women and celebrating their success stories. Each year, the company looks to employ two apprentices and will ensure at least one woman is offered one of the apprenticeship opportunities.

In addition, while the achievements of its people are championed regularly internally, the company will ensure its female employees are recognised for their achievements every year on International Women’s Day.

Warren Lynes, Managing Director at OnSite Support, commented: “International Women’s Day gives us an opportunity to reflect on our ongoing support of women in our business and the wider construction industry.

“As a company, we are very proud to outperform the industry average, in which we offer our products and services to, but there is always more we can do.

“Now, with this new package of support measures, for women joining and forging a career path within our own business, alongside our recommitment to our women’s range – we’re doing exactly that.”