With International Women’s Day just two days away, we thought it was fitting to explore a topic we’ve heard a lot about from our customers lately: the increasing number of women in blue collar and trade jobs. 

Many of our customers have started recruiting and hiring women in industries that are predominantly male, like manufacturing, construction, welding, resource extraction, and more. This isn’t unique to our client base, either. The Department of Labor reports the number of tradeswomen increasing by one-third from 2017-2022, with active female trade apprentices increasing from 9.4% to 14%. 

While this shift brings new talent to companies and fresh opportunities for women, it has also revealed that many of these industries’ existing facilities aren’t designed to accommodate a growing female workforce. Companies that don’t adapt and accommodate their new female employees open themselves up to worker unhappiness, high turnover, and even potential legal action. Fortunately, Falcon can help fill in these gaps with modified container structures that are fast, customizable, and tradeswoman-approved.

Restrooms for Women in Blue Collar Jobs

If your employees are predominantly male, it makes sense for your facilities to be designed with a lot of guys in mind. That could look like multiple men’s restrooms on a jobsite, each with several stalls and a wall of urinals. Maybe there’s a small women’s restroom in the office with one or two stalls. But as more women join your payroll, what then? 

Employers can provide their female workforce with adequate restroom space in the form of container bathrooms. This is an excellent option when a stick-built bathroom is too costly or time-prohibitive, and it’s a far better choice than unpleasant porta potties. Falcon’s bathroom floor plans are outfitted with air conditioning, full plumbing, sinks and vanities, and active ventilation for a comfortable restroom space. These containers can be relocated or set in place permanently, and we offer ADA-compliant floor plans.

Locker Rooms for Tradeswomen

Many companies provide their blue-collar workforce with locker rooms and showers so workers can change into company uniforms or specialty equipment, store their belongings while on the clock, and then wash away any debris or harmful material from the day. Female workers cannot be expected to share locker rooms with their male coworkers. But companies might lack space within their facility to construct a new locker room.  

Our locker room floor plan is complete with toilets, sinks, showers, and an open space that can be outfitted with benches and storage. We’ve deployed this design for many customers when stick-built structures weren’t feasible, yet employers wanted to provide their workers with a comfortable locker room environment.

Lactation Rooms for Blue Collar Workers

By law, employers must provide nursing employees a reasonable amount of break time and a space to express breastmilk as needed. This space, commonly known as a lactation room or mother’s room, must meet the following requirements:

• Functional for pumping milk
• Shielded from view 
• Free from intrusion
• NOT a bathroom

Some employers make do with a converted closet or other makeshift space. However, many companies are making efforts to create dedicated spaces for their nursing employees as a means of support and employee retention. A modified container workspace can easily serve as a lactation room in a manufacturing facility or other jobsite. The interior is comfortable and climate controlled, shielded from view, and spacious enough for chairs and a refrigerator for milk storage. Modification options like a kitchenette and bathroom can upgrade the space even more.

Container Living Spaces for Tradeswomen

Skilled tradespeople may need to travel to remote areas for work, like a welder in an oilfield, for example. If the existing lodgings are full or male-only, companies can consider modified container living spaces. Our living space floor plans are secure and remarkably comfortable, complete with full bathrooms and cozy living areas. They’re also more durable than a travel trailer yet can easily be picked up and transported as needed.

Do your facilities need one of these updates? Our container solutions improve work environments for employees across many industries, and they’re an excellent resource to accommodate the growing number of tradeswomen. Reach out to our team at 877-704-0177 or email us at sales@falconstructures.com to start improving your jobsite!