For years, the PCIAW® has championed the critical need for uniforms, workwear and PPE to be inclusive for the demographic variety of workforces. Professional clothing should enable people at work to carry out their responsibilities, however without forward-thinking design and data-backed understanding of what the workforce looks like, the garments designed to enable workers are instead creating obstacles.
From high-level discussions at the annual PCIAW® Summits to sponsoring the launch event for the BSI inclusive PPE standard, we have relentlessly pushed to eliminate the severe safety and health risks caused by ill-fitting protective gear.
Through our recorded studio podcasts, industry round tables, and hands-on sizing initiatives, such as our pioneering collaboration scanning active personnel with Women in the Fire Service UK, we have proven that modern digital sizing technology is the key to protecting a diverse workforce, by quickly understanding it.
Now, a major new European standardisation initiative presents an extraordinary opportunity for our members to embed their technology and expertise directly into future European standards.
The Opportunity: AnthropoMachPPE
CEN/TC 122/WG 1 (Anthropometry), managed by the German standards body DIN, has launched the AnthropoMachPPE project.
Following a recent feasibility study (ADULT ANTHR-DATA), CEN concluded that capturing the comprehensive anthropometric data needed for modern European standards would result in a measurement protocol far too complex, slow, and expensive to execute across the EU. To solve this, they are launching this new project to develop a practical, cost-effective measurement protocol and validate data requirements through targeted case studies.
While the working group is constrained by the high costs and time required for legacy data collection, PCIAW®’s digital sizing members possess the precise technology that can capture extensive data points in seconds.
By putting forward our members’ individual experts, we can directly demonstrate how digital technology solves the “complexity and cost” problem that CEN is trying to overcome.
Why PCIAW® Digital Sizing Members Must Apply
Traditional methods rely on obsolete callipers and measuring tapes. PCIAW®’s digital sizing members possess the right tools to modernise and ensure accuracy through 3D body scanning, AI-driven dimension estimation, and contactless digital sizing, which is what PCIAW® believes is desperately needed to make a modern EU-wide measurement protocol viable.
While organisations cannot apply directly, individual experts from within our membership network are fully eligible.
CEN is currently hiring for three specialised roles:
- Technical Project Leadership (TPL): Managing project execution, data flows, and timelines.
- Researcher on Anthropometry (RAHMPI): Developing and refining measurement protocols and analysing how body dimensions impact PPE fit and safety.
- Anthropometric Pilot Study Participant (APSP): Operating and executing the practical field trials and measurement surveys.
How to Apply
If your company develops cutting-edge sizing technology, putting forward your senior researchers or operational leads for these roles ensures your methodology benchmarks the future of European PPE standards.
- The Deadline: June 30, 2026
- How to Submit: Applications must be completed using the official DIN individual forms and submitted in English to anthropomachppe@din.de.
- More Information: https://www.din.de/en/getting-involved/standards-committees/naerg/anthropomachppe-1277620
As an association, PCIAW® stands ready to provide formal letters of endorsement and support to our members’ individual applicants, leveraging our data, infrastructure, and network to reinforce your bid.
