Drop In Number Of Engineers Depicted Wearing Hard Hats

If you are responsible for purchasing hivis clothing then you should have heard of the The Sainsbury Management Fellows Hard Hat Index. 

This index is used to measure the frequency of engineers being depicted wearing hard hats, in a bid to raise awareness of how narrow the view of people who work in engineering may be.  

The past four years has seen a tumble of 19 per cent in the depictions of engineers wearing hard hats, a statistic that has been lauded in the industry of the success of broadening the appeal of the profession.

The fall has mainly been seen in media and magazines, but the number of engineers depicted wearing hard hats has soared by 30 per cent since the indices invention in 2013.  

Previous surveys have not shown up much difference, but this year’s has shown the most year-on-year variation yet with 127 hard hats recorded in engineering articles compared to 158 last year.  

SMF President, David Falzani MBE said, “Our sector needs to show diverse images and role models of engineers so that gatekeepers, and young people understand that we work across all industry sectors, in different environments and that engineering offers dynamic, creative and rewarding careers.” 

His message backs up previous calls for the construction industry to broaden its appeal, to encourage women and people from ethnic minority backgrounds into construction, as well as others who may not have previously considered working in the industry.