The Friday Blog | Building Visibility: Skanska UK’s Pink Hard Hats Driving Breast Cancer Awareness

October is recognised internationally as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In the UK, one of the most visible symbols of the campaign is “Wear It Pink”, organised by Breast Cancer Now, which asks organisations and individuals to don an item of pink and help spur conversation, awareness and fundraising. [About Wear It Pink | Breast Cancer Now]

This year, Skanska UK has brought that idea onto many of its projects and sites in a particularly striking way — by issuing pink hard hats. The goal: not just to raise awareness, but to spark conversations, challenge norms, and encourage other contractors, clients and supply chain to join in.

Why pink hard hats? The rationale behind the gesture

We spoke with Sophie Potts, Director of Health, Safety, Wellbeing & Quality (HSWQ) at Skanska Infrastructure, to understand the thinking behind the initiative.

“We wanted to move beyond posters or internal comms,” Sophie says. “In a practical, everyday environment like a construction site, you need something that’s visible, that invites questions. The pink hard hats are a conversation starter; they say ‘Hey, this matters to us’.”

Sophie acknowledged that hard hats are not novel fashion accessories, but safety equipment, so the choice of pink had to be handled carefully, and thankfully, with the support of PPE Supplier Bryson, Skanska have been able to order fully compliant hardhats, which meet the protective standard, whilst also driving this awareness.

Sophie tells me that in her early industry days, gestures like this were rare. But times are changing.

“We want to lead, not follow. In the highways and civil engineering sectors especially, we often lack visible signals of social causes. Wearing pink hard hats is a way to break that silence; to signal that we are more than bricks, steel and asphalt: we are people, with families, vulnerabilities and most of all we care.”

On the ground: A47 Thickthorn project leads by example

One of the most prominent sites adopting the pink hard hat approach is the A47 Thickthorn project, a National Highways contract being delivered by Skanska. In a LinkedIn post that generated significant engagement, Victoria Pardoe, Project Manager on the National Highways side, shared her surprise and admiration:

“Today, I had a truly unexpected and heartening experience on site. Our delivery partner, Skanska, on the A47 Thickthorn Project, had pink hard hats on site to raise awareness for Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October. Having worked on numerous sites, I’ve never seen a company do something like this before.”

“This simple act of wearing pink hard hats shows a strong commitment to raising awareness and shows that even in industries like construction, we can come together to support a vital cause. It’s a powerful reminder that breast cancer affects everyone, and every effort, big or small, helps. It gives me hope that we’re making progress in breaking down the stigma and encouraging open conversations about this disease.”

The scale and impact: awareness, conversation, culture shift

The impact of such a visible gesture is not to be underestimated. Breast cancer remains the most common cancer globally, with more than 55,000 new diagnoses annually in the UK alone. (The risk extends across genders, though incidence in women is higher.)

By inserting such a strikingly visible cue (the pink hard hat) Skanska brings that statistic into the daily field environment. Workers, subcontractors, visitors, delivery drivers; anyone stepping on site is confronted with it. That prompts questions: “Why pink?” “What’s this about?” Even better: “Can I get involved?”

Sophie Potts says early feedback has been encouraging. At several sites, operatives have asked for informational leaflets, welfare briefings have included short awareness slots, and some site teams have organised their own fundraising or awareness days.

Skanska is also using internal comms; newsletters, site bulletin boards, toolbox talks, to support and amplify the visibility. Their ambition is for sites where pink becomes not a one-week novelty, but a sustained monthly recognition of the cause.

Challenges, permissions and safety compliance

Of course, changing something as regulated as PPE is not trivial. Every site has health & safety procedures, strict PPE requirements, and rules about contractors’ own kit. Sophie explained that before roll-out, teams needed to ensure that they sort approval via the site’s management team and client representative that a temporary change in hard hat colour would not impact safety compliance, and confirm that the pink hard hats adhered to exactly the same safety standards, certifications, shock performance and durability as their standard counterparts.

Beyond logistics, there is a more subtle cultural challenge. For some, the idea of changing hard hat colour (even temporarily) may feel odd or non-serious. In some cases, teams resist change of habit, or feel uneasy about “political” gestures in a site setting.

Sophie acknowledges that:

“We can’t, and shouldn’t force it, ultimately it must be voluntary. But what we can do is lead by example, make participation easy, explain the meaning, and show that this is compatible with professionalism, safety and dignity.”

Lessons for other contractors, clients and industry bodies

From my conversations and observation, here are some takeaway principles for other company’s considering a pink hard hat campaign:

• Lead from the top. Visible leadership from HSWQ senior management (as Skanska’s Sophie Potts is doing) gives legitimacy and helps counter scepticism.

• Ensure safety Standards. The pink hats must match or exceed standard hats in certification, not weaken PPE standards.

• Make participation voluntary but visible. Don't coerce but make it easy, and celebrate those who opt in.

• Support it with information. Leaflets, toolbox talks, case studies, personal stories help convert visibility into awareness.

• Link to ongoing wellbeing and cancer support. Awareness is a start; pairing with employee health checks, counselling or partnerships strengthens the impact.

• Encourage replication. Invite other contractors, clients, suppliers to adopt the idea, amplifying the signal across projects.

• Embed it, don’t just ‘do it for October’. Over time, the pink hats or pink accents may become a fixture of site culture, not just a one-off.

A view forward: making pink the new normal

When I visited the A47 Thickthorn site during one morning shift, a row of operatives strode past in fluorescent vests, high-vis trousers and pink hard hats. At first glance it looked like a “fun day,” but on closer look, it felt more intentional: a visible bridge between PPE and social purpose.

The question is whether such gestures can evolve into lasting culture change. Could every October become a prompt for site welfare reviews, health check pop-ups, open forums, fundraising? Could pink hard hats become a recognised symbol of empathy in an industry often seen as rugged and impersonal?

If nothing else, Skanska UK’s embrace of pink hard hats is a strong signal: in highways and construction, we can build not just roads and bridges, but awareness, care, and openness. And in a disease that touches tens of thousands in the UK every year, every conversation matters.

If you represent a site, contractor or client and want to adopt pink hard hats, check with your HSWQ contact to confirm whether a temporary change in hard hat colour is permissible under your site’s safety regime. And if you do, perhaps consider sharing your photos or reflections, to help the movement grow.