The challenge
PPE that doesn’t fit properly is dangerous. Poor fit leaves gaps that reduce grip and let harmful substances into the eyes and lungs.
Most PPE is built around standard male sizes. With women now making up 15% of the UK’s construction workforce, a one-size-fits-all approach is no longer fit for purpose.
BSI published BS 30417, a framework to help health and safety officers source PPE that’s safe for a wider range of body types, abilities and cultural needs. But how could procurers follow a framework that they didn’t know existed?
BSI needed a campaign to reframe the problem, so audiences would recognise the urgent need for inclusive PPE and understand how to implement it. That meant creating a community where people felt comfortable sharing their frustrations and driving curiosity among procurement teams who wanted to protect their workforce.
The solution
We built a specialist advocate campaign, anchored to World Day for Health and Safety at Work on 28th April 2026.
We chose three influencers with skill-based authority and lived experience: Jenny Darlington, principal Health & Safety consultant at WSP; Bethany Holroyd, founder of The Safety Superhero Academy; and Sophien Hildebrandt-Petillo, a carpenter with 92,800 TikTok followers. Together they covered a traditional audience while testing younger, future decision makers.
The advocates’ networks include many professionals who make PPE decisions. By combining trusted voices and credible content, we were able to amplify their posts both organically and with paid promotion. The comment section did the rest. Followers from inside and outside our advocates’ networks shared multiple reports of safety system failures from around the country, attributable to the very problem that BS 30417 sought to resolve.
The results
TThe campaign delivered 535,133 impressions against a 400,000 target, reaching 290,194 unique professionals.
Bethany’s boosted post hit a 3.59% click-through rate, six to nine times the LinkedIn norm, at roughly a third of the standard CPM. With 52 comments and 28 reposts, the campaign created real and grounded debate.
The campaign was such a success that BSI has since commissioned Phase 2, expanding to healthcare, emergency services and manufacturing for National Inclusion Week 2026.
We wanted to raise awareness of both the need for inclusive PPE, as well as introducing professionals to BS 30417, the British Standard. Working at speed, The Think Tank devised an influencer strategy and identified relevant content creators who could bring the topic to life and leverage their lived experience. The individuals we collaborated with made the topic much more visible and started conversations which we’ll continue in phase 2. This campaign was small yet impactful”
Steph Shore
Senior Marketing Executive
BSI Group
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