Engineering and construction business, Laing O’Rourke collaborated with JSD to create a premium personal protective PPE range consisting of high-visibility polo shirts, softshell jackets, and outerwear. The workwear offers comfort, functionality, fit and safety at work, prioritising well-being and inclusivity.

They also wanted the new workwear to help them attract and retain talent. In particular, they wanted to encourage more women to join the profession, so they worked with us to develop a range of clothing that was specifically designed for women, not just modified versions of men’s clothing.

David Humphries, Account Manager for JSD, explains the process: “The current range of PPE in the construction industry does not support the agenda which Laing O’Rourke had set around inclusion and wellbeing and moving from trades to technicians, so we worked together to design a completely new range of workwear, which had to meet a demanding set of requirements.”

Six wearer trials were held in several locations, involving over fifty wearers from different job roles. These trials allowed the wearers to actively participate in the design process. Participants were given various versions of the workwear to test, the most favoured options were selected for each trial. The design focus groups and trial sessions were recorded on video and shared with colleagues to promote involvement and raise awareness about wearer well-being and inclusivity. All the items in the range were developed based on direct feedback from the wearers.

Head of Health and Safety for Laing O’Rourke Europe, “Construction industry workwear has suffered from a lack of investment for decades. By developing a range of workwear that supports our ‘Trades to Technician’s’ agenda, the new look makes Laing O’Rourke’s sites stand out against other more traditional projects.