The Professional Clothing Industry Association Worldwide (PCIAW®) is pleased to announce Amy Beams, Director, Corporate Members Liaison and PPE Specialist at Women in the Fire Service UK (WFS), as a speaker at the PCIAW® Summit, Exhibition & Awards 2026, taking place at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London on 21–22 October.
Amy will contribute to “Inclusivity for Human Ergonomics: Body Shapes & Modern Workwear Standards” from 9:50am–10:30am on 22 October, bringing the voice and experience of fire-service PPE end users directly into the conversation.
Her perspective will examine why inclusive PPE cannot be achieved through design and standards alone. End users need to be able to identify and report problems with fit, while manufacturers, procurement teams, standards bodies and testing organisations need mechanisms for turning that experience into meaningful improvements.
Bringing the end-user voice into PPE design
Women in the Fire Service UK is a national not-for-profit organisation representing people working across the fire and rescue sector, from frontline firefighters to support staff, officers and control teams.
Since the 1990s, the organisation has worked to advance equality and representation through training, events, resources and industry engagement.
For Amy, improving PPE begins with understanding the experiences of the people actually wearing it.
WFS works to amplify the voices of firefighters and fire-sector staff, particularly where existing PPE and workwear does not adequately meet their needs.
Amy will explore why this feedback needs to influence design decisions, procurement specifications, standards and testing, creating a continuous connection between the end user and those responsible for developing protective equipment.
Ill-fitting PPE is more than uncomfortable
The consequences of poor fit can extend well beyond wearer dissatisfaction.
For firefighters operating in hazardous environments, PPE is a critical protective system. If equipment does not fit the individual correctly, its ability to provide the intended protection can be compromised.
Amy will highlight how ill-fitting PPE can increase injury risk and potentially create compliance and legal concerns for organisations responsible for providing appropriate protective equipment.
The question for employers and procurement teams therefore needs to extend beyond whether PPE has been supplied.
It must also ask: does it actually fit the person expected to wear it?
Creating a culture where people speak up
Improving inclusive PPE also requires cultural change.
Workers need to feel able to raise concerns when equipment does not fit properly rather than simply accepting the available option or adapting their behaviour around unsuitable PPE.
Amy will explore why creating an environment where wearers can openly discuss fit is essential to identifying problems that may otherwise remain hidden within an organisation.
Without that feedback, procurement teams and manufacturers may have limited visibility of how PPE performs across the real diversity of a workforce.
End-user experience therefore becomes an important source of evidence for continuous improvement.
Moving from gender to body shape
One approach Amy will discuss is “Fit to Form”, a concept developed to move the conversation away from PPE being defined primarily as male or female.
Instead, the focus is placed on the individual’s body shape and the equipment required to fit them correctly.
This change in language can help challenge the assumption that inclusive PPE simply means creating separate men’s and women’s ranges.
Human bodies vary significantly within both categories.
By focusing on body shape, proportions and fit, the industry can move towards PPE provision that better reflects the people wearing the equipment rather than relying on broad gender-based assumptions.
Using anthropometric data to expose gaps
Evidence is also essential.
Women in the Fire Service UK has advocated for and facilitated anthropometric data collection at its national event, helping the industry better understand the body shapes represented within today’s fire and rescue workforce.
This type of information can reveal where existing PPE and workwear ranges fail to provide suitable options.
It can also give manufacturers and procurement teams stronger evidence when developing sizing systems, specifications and future products.
Rather than assuming existing ranges accommodate the workforce, anthropometric data provides an opportunity to test that assumption against real people.
Turning BS 30417 into practical action
Amy will also explore the implementation of BS 30417 and its role in supporting more inclusive PPE provision.
Her contribution will focus on how guidance around inclusive PPE can help end users and organisations identify and address issues surrounding fit.
For WFS, standards and guidance become most valuable when they translate into practical changes for the people using PPE.
That requires engagement across the full system – from end users raising concerns through to procurement, design, manufacturing, testing and organisational decision-making.
The Implementation Phase
Amy’s contribution closely reflects the theme of the PCIAW® Summit 2026 – “The Implementation Phase.”
Recognition that PPE needs to accommodate a more diverse workforce has grown significantly. The challenge now is ensuring that recognition produces measurable improvements in the equipment people receive.
That means listening to end users, collecting better anthropometric evidence, creating a culture where poor fit can be challenged and ensuring procurement and design processes respond.
Amy’s message will bring the discussion back to the individual wearing the equipment: inclusive PPE succeeds only when the protection provided actually fits the person who depends on it.
Amy Beams will contribute to “Inclusivity for Human Ergonomics: Body Shapes & Modern Workwear Standards” from 9:50am–10:30am on 22 October at the PCIAW® Summit, Exhibition & Awards 2026.
The event takes place at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms, London, on 21–22 October 2026.
