Mark's Commercial exec says fit is redefining PPE compliance

For Adam Gaiser, Vice President at Mark's Commercial, the biggest change in Canadian workplace safety over the past few years is not a new material or a new certification. It is a shift in how employers think about fit.

"I have seen a noticeable shift from simply meeting compliance requirements to creating environments where workers genuinely want to wear the equipment they are given," Gaiser said. Employers, he said, are paying far closer attention to fit, comfort and worker feedback than they were even a few years ago, recognizing that PPE which does not fit properly makes compliance harder to achieve, not easier.

Compliance is not the same as protection

Gaiser said one of the most persistent misconceptions in the industry is that meeting a standard automatically equals protection.

"One of the biggest misconceptions is that compliance automatically equals protection," he said. "Meeting a standard is important, but it is only part of the equation. PPE still needs to fit properly, be appropriate for the task, and be comfortable enough that workers will wear it consistently."

The second misconception, he said, is treating PPE as a one size fits all commodity. "Every jobsite, task, environment, and workforce has different requirements, which means the right solution can look very different from one customer to the next."

That gap shows up most clearly around inclusive sizing. Gaiser pointed to a fading "shrink it and pink it" mindset, in which PPE designed for men was simply resized and recoloured for women rather than engineered around different body types.

"It is becoming an expectation that PPE be completely inclusive, which includes proper fit and equal access," Gaiser said. "Ultimately, safety programs are most effective when workers feel heard and involved in the process."

A people conversation, not just a product one

Mark's Commercial, the business-to-business (B2B) division of Mark's, traces its roots back more than 30 years to a company called Imagewear. Today it supports employers across construction, transportation, utilities, manufacturing, energy and natural resources through more than 380 Mark's stores and a dedicated commercial team.

Gaiser said the company's approach centres on adoption, not just product specification. "The best PPE in the world does not protect anyone if it does not fit properly, if it is uncomfortable, or if workers do not want to wear it," he said. "A properly fitting piece of PPE does not just provide physical protection. It also helps workers feel included, respected, and confident that the equipment was designed with them in mind. It is more than just physical safety; it is also psychological safety as well."

One example he pointed to is VIZLITE®, a visibility solution designed to help workers stay seen in low light conditions around moving equipment and vehicles. "What I like about innovations like VIZLITE is that they solve a real world challenge," Gaiser said. "When workers are comfortable, confident, and trust the equipment they're wearing, they're more likely to wear it consistently and get the protection it was designed to provide."

That focus on comfort also has a retention dimension. Gaiser said the same logic applies across a company's entire outfitting program. "Workers notice when their employer invests in products that fit properly, perform well, and are designed around the realities of their job," he said. "That can have a meaningful impact on job satisfaction, worker confidence, and overall engagement."

Where standards and fit still fall short

Standards and certification, Gaiser said, provide an essential foundation, but they are only part of the story. "A certified product that doesn't fit properly may not provide the protection it was designed to deliver," he said. "If workers are uncomfortable or don't trust the equipment they're wearing, they're less likely to wear it consistently, and that's where both protection and compliance can start to break down."

He said the most common gap he still sees is organizations trying to fit a diverse workforce into a limited range of products. "Different body types, genders, job roles, and working environments often require different solutions," he said. "Every worker deserves access to equipment that fits properly, regardless of gender, body type, or role."

Looking ahead, Gaiser said he expects innovation to concentrate on three areas: fit, data and sustainability, alongside a continued push toward digital tools that simplify how employers manage safety footwear and PPE programs. "The organizations that continue learning from their customers and adapting alongside them will be the ones that create lasting value," he said.

This article was produced in collaboration with Mark’s Commercial.