• Contract with Suffolk Safety Solutions, based in Bacton near Stowmarket, will create 23 jobs
• Suffolk company will supply essential safety workwear
• Joint venture between Mathias & Sons and Portable Space brings proven innovations from Hinkley Point C
• Sizewell C investing £2bn in Suffolk businesses, with £581m awarded so far

Sizewell C has appointed Suffolk Safety Solutions as its primary supplier of personal protective equipment (PPE), creating 23 new local jobs.

Over the next three years, Suffolk Safety Solutions – based in Bacton, Suffolk – will supply Sizewell C’s growing workforce with essential safety wear, including hard hats, high-visibility clothing, and protective eyewear, ensuring the highest standards of on-site safety.

The company is a partnership between family-run PPE and workwear specialist Mathias & Sons Ltd and Suffolk-based portable accommodation provider Portable Space Ltd. This collaboration builds on Mathias & Sons’ eight years of experience as a key supplier to Hinkley Point C, where a range of innovative safety solutions were successfully trialled. These solutions will now be replicated at Sizewell C, supported by complementary warehousing and logistics services from Portable Space.

The new roles at Suffolk Safety Solutions include warehouse operatives and delivery drivers.

Jason Mathias, Managing Director at Mathias & Sons Ltd, said: 
“This contract represents a monumental achievement for our respective businesses. As a result of many years of collaboration and innovation at Hinkley, we’ve developed a deep understanding of the unique demands of large-scale construction projects. We’ve used this learning to create the blueprint for a PPE model that embraces technology to enhance safety, wellbeing, efficiency and sustainability.”

Mark Dolman, Managing Director at Portable Space, added: 
“We’re excited to support these innovations at Sizewell C. Our partnership with Mathias will create jobs and apprenticeships for local people in Suffolk and help drive long-term sustainable growth in the region.”

Sizewell C has committed to investing £2 billion in Suffolk businesses during the construction of the power station, which is already underway on the county’s coast. To date, £581m has been awarded to local suppliers.

At peak construction, the project will support around 8,000 jobs, with about one-third coming from the local area.

Damian Leydon, Site Delivery Director, Sizewell C, said: 
“Ensuring the highest standards of safety and protection for our workforce is our number one priority. We’re pleased to partner with Mathias and Portable Space – two well-established UK companies – to maintain a safe environment as we deliver this nationally significant project. This is also great news for local jobs and reinforces our commitment to supporting Suffolk businesses.”

In December, a report by global economic advisory firm, Oxford Economics, estimated that, at the peak of construction, Sizewell C could reduce local unemployment by up to 1,700–2,200 people, cutting the county’s jobless rate from 2.7 per cent to as low as 1.7 per cent.

KeyFacts Energy Industry Directory: Sizewell C