In many industrial working environments, for example, mining, power, construction, and forestry, the risk of head injury to workers is constantly present. The most serious risks are physical injuries, which can be as a result of the impact of a falling object or collision with fixed objects at the workplace. Due to the nature of these work activities, it is not always possible to eliminate such risks with just appropriate organisational solutions or collective protective equipment. Therefore, the only way to ensure the safety of workers is by using safety helmets. The type of helmet will depend on the specific nature of the physical risks that have been identified in the risk assessment undertaken for the activity. This article provides information for users of protective helmets as well as employers and OSH engineers. It includes information on definitions and gives the requirements for different kind of protective helmets that offer protection against physical risks.
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Personal protective equipment (PPE) means all equipment which is intended to be worn or held by people at work and which protects them against one or more risks to their health and safety, and any addition or accessory designed to meet that objective. All PPE should be used as a last resort to reduce the risk taking into consideration that the risk will not be eliminated.
Safety helmets are one of the most frequently used forms of PPE. Safety helmets will protect the user&#;s head against:
In general, protective helmets, or hard hats, should:
All employees working in areas where there is a possible danger of head injury from impact, or from falling or flying objects, or from electrical shock and burns, shall be protected by protective helmets. Safety helmets must be worn when performing most construction works, works in the vicinity of lifting equipment (cranes, hoists, etc.) and suspended loads, works in forestry, works in cisterns, wells, shafts, tunnels, etc. In these situations the use of a safety helmet will help protect against injuries to the scalp, skull and cervical vertebrae.
It is the responsibility of the employer to conduct a risk assessment and determine the need for head protection at the workplace.
In some situations the safety helmets serves as a base for other kinds of PPE i.e .will be used together with other PPE, e.g. hearing protection, face visors or respiratory protection equipment. In these situations it is important that the suitability and the compatibility of the different PPE are considered.
Figure 1 shows the construction and the individual components of an industrial safety helmet.
All safety helmets should come with instructions on how to correctly adjust and adapt the helmet for each individual user&#;s needs. It is therefore important that before using the safety helmet, the user should read and become familiar with these safety instructions.
When adjusting and positioning a safety helmet on the head, the user must ensure that the:
EU legislation distinguishes between two areas of regulations regarding personal protective equipment. The first is discussed in Directive 89/656/EEC [1], which determines the obligations of the employer regarding ensuring safe use of personal protective equipment. The provisions of this Directive also include employers&#; obligations connected with the necessity to use personal protective equipment. Safety helmets should be appropriately selected by the employer, based on a risk analysis, and delivered to the employees free of charge. The employer is also responsible for the maintenance of safety helmets and their replacement, in particular if the used items have reduced protective properties.
The second area of regulations with regards to personal protective equipment is connected with Regulation /425/EU [2] . It concerns the rules of placing the products on the common market, i.e. the assessment of conformity with essential health, safety and ergonomics requirements (EHSRs). Therefore, hard hats, should meet the requirements of the Regulation referred to above. It follows from these requirements that the manufacturer of hard hats &#; or their authorised representative &#; is responsible for the conformity of the products placed on the EU market with the essential requirements specified in the Regulation, which is confirmed by placing a CE mark on the product.
The minimum information that should be included with the helmets is:
A helmet which offers additional protective features may also have a label on the shell with information regarding:
Operating manual / Safety Instructions Under Regulation /425/EU the manufacturer is required to provide safety information regarding the hard hat in their technical file. All safety helmets should come with an operating manual / safety instructions which should cover all relevant information such as: safety features, adjustment methods, how to fit it properly onto the user&#;s head, maintenance, storage and repairs / replacement. These instructions should be clear and comprehensible.
According to EN 397 [3], the most common and basic form of PPE aimed at protecting an employee&#;s head is an industrial safety helmet. Regardless of the differences in their structural protection, these type of helmets will feature the following components: shell, harness and headband.
The helmet&#;s shell is the rigid outer section of the helmet, and is usually made from polyethylene, ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene &#; a thermoplastic) or fibreglass hardened with polyester resins The basic function of the shell is to provide protection by reducing the force of a falling object striking or impacting on the users head. Depending on its design, the shell can have a peak, a brim or a rain gutter, ventilation openings, or attachment devices for eye and face protection and ear protectors.
The harness is the internal part of the helmet (fastened to the inside of the shell) consisting of a system of strips made of woven bands or polyethylene. The main purpose of the harness is to absorb the energy from an impact on the shell and to spread the force evenly over the wearer&#;s head, minimising the risk of harm to the user. It should be noted that a helmet, with the harness closely attached to the rim of the shell and without any additional protective padding, will not provide effective protection against any lateral impacts [4], [5], [6], [7]. However, helmets with shells of sufficient rigidity [3] will also provide partial protection of the user&#;s head against any lateral forces.
The shell and harness have been designed to work together in the helmet as a unit when fitted the correct way round i.e. the peak facing forward. The harness should not be removed and refitted so that the helmet can be worn backwards because the helmet has not been designed to absorb impact when worn in this way.
The headband is the part that contours the head at the height of the forehead and the base of the skull and, together with the harness, allows for the stable positioning of the helmet on the user&#;s head. The headband is equipped with two adjustment mechanisms for changing its length and the wearing height, and this increases its stability when positioned on the head. Most industrial protective helmets will have a sweatband incorporated in the headband which acts as a sweat-absorbing pad.
Industrial safety helmets can also have additional equipment which does not need to be included, such as a chinstrap that is designed to keep the helmet in place and prevents it from falling when workers move their heads or they might include grips for attaching other personal protective equipment elements, e.g. eye and face protection.
Industrial bump caps (standard EN 812) [8] should only be used in workplaces where the risk assessment has identified no hazards from objects falling from above and only a danger of superficial head injuries caused by light impact against structural elements. In these cases an industrial safety helmet [3] would not be required.
By wearing an industrial bump cap, workers can avoid the following discomforts:
The most important elements of an industrial bump cap in comparison with designs that comply with the specifications in EN 397 [3] is their lower mass and their smaller dimensions. Figure 2 shows an example of an industrial bump cap.
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Bump caps consists of a thin polyethylene shell, a harness and a headband which is made of plastic by an injection method. Bump caps can also be made of textile materials (making them approximately 50% lighter than helmets complying with EN 397) and equipped with a special protective padding.
There are industrial workplaces where the risks of head injuries are so high that industrial safety helmets compliant with the EN 397 [3] are not sufficient to provide a suitable degree of protection. Examples of industry sectors where such workplaces exist include mining and construction. In such cases, the risk assessment undertaken would have identified that employees must be equipped with high performance industrial safety helmets i.e. helmets that comply with EN [9]. Compared to the helmets compliant with the EN 397 [3], these helmets are characterized by the following properties:
High performance industrial safety helmets also consist of a shell, harness and a headband. The most popular method of enhancing the helmets shock absorption properties and provide protection against lateral impact, is by the introduction of protective padding that absorbs the energy from the impact and therefore reduces the forces transmitted onto the user&#;s head. This padding is usually made of foams with adequate force-deformation ratio properties, e.g. polyurethane or high-density polystyrene. An example of such a design is shown in figure 3.
The design of these types of helmets includes a more stable method of fitting onto the user&#;s head in order to prevent it from falling during an impact, especially lateral ones. This additional stability is reflected in the construction of the headband, the chinstrap and the system of supporting the helmet. Better resistance to penetration is achieved by using shells made of thicker or harder materials. However, achieving this additional protection results in an increase in mass of the helmet and therefore an additional load on the user.
To provide the users head with a suitable level of protection against physical factors, the helmet must be properly selected, fitted and used.
The term &#;selected" refers to the employer undertaking a comprehensive risk assessment to establish the need for head protection within the area and to determine its suitability. It is important to note that all PPE should be used as a last resort and only after implementing other controls. With regard head protection the employer will have a choice of three different types of head protection i.e. industrial bump caps, industrial safety and high performance industrial safety helmets.
According to the above-mentioned standards EN 397, and EN safety helmets must comply with a series of requirements, which relate to the following issues:
Special purpose helmets have to comply with additional requirements regarding:
In order to provide proper protection of the user&#;s head against mechanical impact, safety helmets must be suitably selected from different types and constructions. When making a decision on the selection of a particular helmet, the employer must choose taking into consideration the following factors:
The helmet shall maintain its safety parameters in the entire range of temperatures occurring at a workplace. There are four categories of helmets classified according to this feature:
Performing tasks that can cause the helmet to fall down from the head (e.g. using it together with personal protective equipment for the protection of falls from a height
Proper use means following the rules and instructions specified by the manufacturer in the operating manual e.g. conditions and ways of using the product, recommended methods of maintenance and storage as well as the conditions for qualifying a helmet for withdrawal from service.
The most important rules of proper use of safety helmets include:
Statistical data regarding occupational accidents show that the most common cause of head injuries are impacts from falling objects and impact against sharp and hard items. The consequences of such an occurrence depend principally on the kinetic energy of the impact and the shape and hardness of the material coming into contact with the head. Injuries caused by mechanical factors may affect skin on the head, skull, brain and neck segments of the spinal cord. In extreme cases, these injuries may lead to permanent disability or even a person&#;s death.
All the tasks related to the selection, maintenance, training in safe use, conducting inspections and running a register of safety helmets is the responsibility of the employer.
When it follows from a risk assessment the user must wear a safety helmet from the very beginning of his work and for the entire duration of the shift and is responsible for using head protection equipment in accordance with its purpose. He shall also notify the employer or a suitable occupational health and safety representative of any defects of this equipment.
However, one must remember that the use of helmets does not eliminate dangerous factors but only reduces the gravity of their consequences.
Safety has always been a very important issue in all industrial activities, especially construction. It is after all, not a run-of-the-mill office job and requires some precautionary measures. The more prepared the Labourers/workers are, the less chance for accidents and injuries at a construction site. The head is the only organ of the human body that is totally encased in bone. This by decree of nature states the importance of protecting a very vital functioning component of our body, the brain. Hard hats or Safety helmets act as the first line of defence against head injury, but they only work when they are worn correctly. Thus, it&#;s safe to say safety helmets save lives and reduce the risk of brain injury.
Most head injuries can be avoided if the proper head protection is selected, used and maintained. As anyone who has visited a construction site can attest upon entering a job site that some workers don&#;t quite follow signs that require them to put on a safety helmet or hard hats. This can be for any number of reasons such as comfort level mismatch, or simple neglect or disregard for safety helmets due to misinformation. According to reports published in several journals, there&#;s a stern mention of most instances where head injuries occurred, and employers did not actually require workers to wear head protection. Henceforth, wherever plausible, an employer should consider it feasible to implement engineering or administrative controls to minimize or eliminate exposure to the problem. If the employer feels a dearth of quality available options they can always buy safety helmets online.
Here are some points that further list out the benefits of wearing a safety helmet at work and keeping oneself safe & secure from any kind of injuries.
Safety helmets are designed to protect the head against falling objects and the side of the head, eyes, and neck from any untoward impacts, bumps, scrapes, electrical exposure, etc. Wearing a safety helmet is a mandatory requirement that should be followed by all employers who should provide their workers with hard hats/safety helmets and fully ensure that they wear them. Since on average hundreds of workers per year suffer from fatal head injuries, hard hats are crucial features of worksite safety.
There are industrial workplaces where the risks posed by head injuries are so overwhelming that the common industrial safety helmet compliant are not sufficient to provide a satisfactory degree of protection. For instance, in industry sectors such as mining and construction. In such cases, high-performance industrial safety helmets should be provided to the employees that also comprise of a shell and a headband with good shock absorption properties and protection against lateral shock. They should also consist of protective padding that absorbs the energy from the impact and therefore reduces the forces transmitted onto the user&#;s head. This padding is usually made up of foams with elements such as polyurethane.
Oftentimes safety helmet comes in various colours that signify different roles to the wearers on construction sites. These colour designations vary from company to company. Usually, a number of companies and employees of the same company may wear the same colour hat when they are a part of large projects. Mostly, supervisors are not familiar with all workers on a construction site. Thus, stickers, labels and markers are used to mark safety helmets so that important information can be shared and transmitted without any delays and glitches. As a result, stickers with company logos are very commonplace in construction sites.
Lastly, verified and highly reliable statistical data entailing occupational accidents shows that the most common causes of head injuries are impacts from falling objects and impacts against sharp and hard items. Injuries caused by such mechanical incidents may brutally affect the skin on the head, skull, brain, and neck or even the spinal cord at times. Always wear a safety helmet to ensure full protection and remember, in extreme cases, these injuries may lead to permanent disability or even death causing irreparable loss and agony to you and your loved ones.
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