Hard hats are mainly worn in working environments such as building sites, to protect the head from falling objects that might cause injury however, they can also protect the head from bad weather, electric shocks, and impact with static objects. The hard hat works by incorporating a gap of about 3.18cm between the head of the wearer and the shell of the hat. This gap allows ventilation around the head and also acts as a shock absorber that evenly spreads the weight of the helmet over the head, protecting the skull from any impact that may cause damage. Some hard hats come with water resistant and slow burning properties, and even additional features such as, a reinforcement ridge down the middle of the hat that again strengthens it from impact.
An accident and injuries survey was completed by the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) that uncovered that the majority of workers that suffered a head injury were in fact not wearing head protection in the workplace. It is the duty of the employer to ensure that employees are wearing the required head protection suitable for the work environment.
Each hard hat is assigned an industrial class that is dependent upon how much protection the helmet can provide. There are 3 types of industrial classes:
When purchasing hard hats it is important for the classes, explained above, to be taken into consideration as each hard hat will provide different levels of protection. Once the employer has made the decision on which hard hats to enforce in the workplace, the employer must also ensure that the employees know how best to care for their helmets and report any problems should they arise.