More women are working in construction

Mountain West News Bureau Mountain West News Bureau The Mountain West News Bureau is a collaboration between Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNC in Colorado, KUNM in New Mexico, KJZZ in Arizona, KUNR in Nevada, Nevada Public Radio, and Wyoming Public Media, with support from affiliate stations across the region. More women are working in construction Nevada Public Radio | By Yvette Fernandez Published March 5, 2026 at 10:20 AM PST Facebook Twitter Bluesky LinkedIn Email Listen • 1:12 LM Otero / APJennyfer Belehez works construction at Mansfield Stadium chosen as a team base camp training site for the 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer teams, in Mansfield, Texas, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero) The Mountain West has a growing number of women working in construction jobs. But some business leaders say the construction industry needs to do more to ensure that safety equipment is gender-specific to better protect women on job sites.A recent industry report notes that 67% of women in construction jobs said personal protective equipment (PPE), like helmets, don’t fit well. That’s one of the topics that was discussed this week at the Women in Construction conference in Las Vegas.Victoria Carreon is the administrator with the State of Nevada’s Division of Industrial Relations. She said workers face a higher risk when safety equipment doesn’t fit properly.“If you fall and the safety harness is not fitting you adequately, you don’t want to be slipping out of it. These are ...