If you have a Head you need a Helmet or else it belongs to another!!
COVID or No COVID head protection is a must and there to stay for ever as the Industry needs to work to take care of the economy and thus cannot stop its functioning. But at the same time accidents of such nature are common in the Industry some are reported and some are not but the fact is that Head being the most critical part of the body needs protection all the time.
What Data says?
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. However, one must remember that the use of helmets does not eliminate dangerous factors but only reduces the gravity of their consequences.
Industrial Safety Helmets with or without Ventilation is an answer to such problems as it not only protects the user it also helps in saving his / her family from trauma and at the same time helps save the industry from Loss time accidents caused by accidents Worker Helmet
How do they work?
They have a hard Shell which takes care of the Impact, the Inner harness to provide a snug fit on the skull as well as it provides cushioning between the inner of the Shell and the Wearer’s head, Chinstrap to hold the Helmet in place by way of Chin and a sweatband to absorb Sweat while in use. The ventilation ports provide air ventilation across the skull while working long hours and amidst high heat areas.
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.
These are governed by different standards both National and International and the most common Worker Helmet is tested at least for Impact, Flammability, Electric Shock, Temperature resistance, Water penetration etc.
What’s more they are easy to maintain and have Worker Helmet all parts which can be replaced if worn out hence are economical in long run.
Typical User Segment:
Worker Helmet it is the Protection of lives which counts and it is to be ensured that right Worker Helmet are used both by Industry if we need to maintain good health and be safe either while working in the Industry or elsewhere you need to keep your Head above your Shoulders safe.
Safety helmets (also known as hard hats) can prevent or Worker Helmet injuries to the head and brain, protecting against falling objects or debris, impact with other objects, electric shock and rain. Most head injuries can be avoided if the proper head protection is selected, used and maintained.
The history of head protection
Helmets were invented around 2500 BC to protect soldiers’ heads during battles. The first mass-produced versions were worn by Assyrian soldiers around 900 BC and were mainly made from bronze, protecting the wearer from sword blows and arrow strikes.
In the Victorian era, workers such as miners would wear only a canvas cap in the mines, giving them no protection from falling objects. Similarly, a boom period for construction, shipping and engineering at that time, shipbuilders, dock and construction workers had no protective headwear to protect them when working, despite the dangerous work they were doing, although many employers were beginning to consider the Worker Helmet of their Worker Helmet
For example, contractors William Arrol were noted at the time, as making every effort to look after the welfare of the “Briggers” (construction workers) working on the construction of the Forth Rail Bridge in the 1880s.
However, a description of the clothing worn by the men included “old tweed jackets, mufflers and caps” which although helping to keep out the worst of the Scottish weather, offered little or no protection against falling tools or red-hot metal. Seventy-three fatalities were recorded on that project, many from head injuries.
It was not until the late 1800s, that the Patent Pulp Manufacturing Co Ltd of Thetford in Norfolk, produced the first ever mass-produced hard hat to protect workers; documents from this company are held in the National Archives at Kew. The Patent Pulp Manufacturing Co Ltd manufactured a helmet from pulp which was mixed with lime and fed into formers.
The formed hat was left to dry and then lacquered giving a smooth, if slightly textured, finish and then a steel plate was riveted to the inside of the helmet to give further protection. Although these helmets were groundbreaking, they were somewhat uncomfortable to wear due to the lack of a cradle inside the helmet. The cradle was not invented until about 30 years later in 1919, by an American.
Shipbuilding appears to be the first industry where hard hats were used, as dock workers were in constant danger of being hit by falling objects. The use of hard hats, later to be known by the term safety helmets, then moved into the construction industry.
They were first recorded as a mandatory requirement for construction workers on the Hoover Dam and Golden Gate Bridge projects in the US in the 1930s. They are now a standard piece of safety equipment worldwide.
In Britain, following the death of TE Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) in a motorcycle accident, neurosurgeon Sir Hugh Cairns realised that his life might have been saved had he been wearing a helmet. He began to research and campaign for the use of motorcycle helmets in the UK.
This all led to the first motorcycle standard in 1952 which was followed 2 years later by the first hard hat standard (The Light Duty Safety Helmet Standard) in 1954; both were British Standards
Some statistics
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), 47% of estimated annual average injuries in the construction industry for the years 2017/18–2019/20, were from falls from a height and a further 12% of injuries were caused by being struck by moving, flying or falling objects.
Over all industries, of the 142 workers killed in work accidents in 2020/21, 35 were killed by falls from a height and 17 fatalities were caused by being struck by moving, flying or falling objects.
What is a safety helmet?
Safety helmets are crucial and mandatory on almost all work sites and manual working environments. Industrial safety helmets are the most common and basic form of PPE.
They will have the following components aimed at good protection for the head
The outer shell is usually made from polyethylene, with the inner harness having a system of strips made from polyethylene or woven bands. The headband has adjustment mechanisms that can change its wearing height and its length to increase stability when worn.
Choosing the right safety helmet
Safety helmets are only required on an as-needed basis, so if a risk assessment does not identify any risks of head injuries, then they need not need be worn. However, different construction sites may operate their own rules, and if a risk assessment has identified the possibility of head injury, then safety helmets are mandatory, regardless of the nature of the construction work, or the size of the project.
Safety helmets used on UK construction sites must be manufactured to British Standard (BS) EN 397, which includes rigorous tests for impact resistance and flame Worker Helmet among others. Any employee or visitor to a construction site should be provided with a safety helmet by either their employer or the main contractor, but self-employed workers (including subcontractors) may need to provide their own.
It is important to take several factors into account when choosing a safety helmet. It is first necessary to identify the task to be carried out by the worker as well as the constraints and risks of the activity that need to be provided for. The level of protection required from a safety helmet varies according to the activity. For example, a construction helmet cannot be used for demolition work because it does not offer the same protection.
No one helmet is perfect for everybody and there are several trade-offs to consider when deciding which is right for a work environment. First is the trade-off between performance and comfort.
High-performance helmets are relatively heavy, and though they offer maximum protection, unsupervised wearers may be tempted to remove the more cumbersome designs, leaving them with no protection at all, so there may be a need to balance protection with comfort to ensure compliance.
The different types of safety helmet
Helmet life
Helmets are intended to provide an in-use lifespan of up to 5 years from date of first use or removal from storage. It should be noted that mobile workers who keep their helmet on the rear parcel shelf of their vehicles in direct sunlight should be aware that this constitutes use (the sunlight causes progressive brittleness). If the helmet is used in an aggressive environment or incurs excessive wear and tear then the lifespan will be shortened.
Employers should determine what sort of lifespan is appropriate for the different applications across all work environments, and ensure that a suitable replacement policy is published and applied. In the event that a helmet survives an instance of impact from a falling object, the helmet should be replaced immediately, as it may have been weakened without any faults being visible.
Safety helmet user’s checklist
Below are some of the things you should check before relying on your head protection. This is not an exhaustive list.
Employers must, by law, provide adequate and suitable head protection and ensure it is worn if there is a risk of injury to the head, which will be the case on many work sites. Regulation 4 of the 1992 Act states:
“Every employer shall ensure that suitable personal protective Worker Helmet equipment is provided to his employees who may be exposed to a risk to their health or safety while at work except where and to the extent that such risk has been adequately controlled by other means which are equally or more effective.”
Section 9 of the Act makes it clear that under no circumstances should there be any charge to an employee requiring PPE equipment, and that the employer should provide all the necessary equipment for free. The equipment must also be regularly checked for damage and effectiveness, with special attention being paid to specific requirements, such as the use-by dates of safety helmets.
There is an exemption for Sikhs who wear a turban, but not for Sikhs who do not wear turbans or for any other religious groups. Section 11(1) of the Employment Act 1989 as amended by s.6 of the Deregulation Act 2015 exempts turban-wearing Sikhs from any legal requirement to wear a safety helmet in a workplace, including a construction site.
Employees’ duties in law are:
Safety standards and Brexit
Following Brexit, safety helmets by law should be now be UKCA (UK Conformity Assessment) marked; this is the new UK product marking that will be required for certain products being placed on the market in Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland).
It covers most products that previously required the CE mark. The CE mark is still required if PPE is offered for sale within the European Union including Northern Ireland; this is an EU legal requirement for any item of personal protective equipment including safety helmets.
What is a safety helmet
A safety helmet is personal protective equipment designed to protect the head from injury in the workplace.
Parts of a safety helmet
A hard hat consists of:
What materials are helmets made of?
A helmet can be made of many materials, which can be simple or composite.
These are tough materials, such as polymers, plastics, glass fibers or metal, and their design includes a strong outer shell and an internal suspension system to absorb impacts. For example, the shell may be injected with a single material, such as high-density polyethylene (5-RS and 5-RG helmets) or ABS (CURIO, RENOIR and CADÍ helmets); or it may be made of composite material such as an expanded polystyrene shell and an in-mold bonded poly carbonate sheet Worker Helmet
Types of safety helmet
Safety helmets can be classified:
Industry helmet: Safety helmets are used in a variety of work environments, including construction, mining, oil industry, manufacturing and agriculture. Their use is mandatory in many countries to protect workers from the risks of falling objects, blows to the head, electric shock and other hazards that can cause serious injury or even death.
Electrically insulating helmet: This type of helmet is used in electrical work and is designed to protect the wearer against electric shock. It is made of insulating materials, and must not have exposed metal parts.
Mountaineering helmets: These types of helmets are technically designed to withstand different impact situations. They are also characterized by being lightweight and having holes for ventilation.
Visor: they can have a visor (5RS, 5RG and RENOIR helmets) or no visor (CURIO helmet). The visor prevents the sun from falling directly into the eyes, as well as preventing the impact of small objects on the face from above. For work at heights, where it is common to raise the head, it is usual not to use a visor as it hinders vision.
Wing: They may or may not have a brim Worker Helmet, which is the rim around the cap. This rim may include a water catcher.
What standards do safety helmets have to meet?
There is also a special standard for sports helmets, e.g. for use in mountaineering. Helmets for mountaineers must comply with EN 12492:2012 (CADÍ and MAKALU91 helmets).