The Rising Popularity of Safety Helmets on the Jobsite
OSHA requires that head protection must be worn whenever working in an area with potential injury to the head from falling objects.
- By Zachary Richman
- Sep 01, 2021
Hard hats have come a long way since shipbuilders would cover their hats with tar to create a layer of protection from tools and objects falling from ships. Today, the hard hat has become an iconic symbol to represent the construction industry. Hard hats are typically made of polyethylene and additional accessories such as shields, visors, hearing protection and lights can be attached. OSHA requires that head protection must be worn whenever working in an area with potential injury to the head from falling objects. Signs reading, “Hard Hat Required,” welcome each worker to the site, where every individual is wearing one, regardless of their trade or the task they are doing.
And while hard hats have typically been the longstanding go-to choice for protection against permanent, life-changing injuries or death, more and more, they are being replaced by safety helmets. These helmets, derived from the ones used in extreme sports such as rock climbing or even whitewater rafting, attach more closely on the head and have built-in chin straps. This ‘helmet revolution’ has some safety managers looking beyond the typical hard hat when choosing the best protective headgear to fit their crews’ needs while keeping them safe on the job.
The Importance of Head Protection
Advancements in PPE can be invaluable for workers, their employers and insurance companies. With no shortage of ways to get injured on a jobsite, head protection is essential to defend against falling objects such as tools and debris, fixed objects such as pipes or electrical hazards, and trips, slips or falls.
Yet, despite it being a well-known fact that head protection is crucial to workplace safety, head injuries continue to be one of the most frequent injuries on the job. The most common head injuries include concussions, head contusions, brain hemorrhage, hematoma and skull fractures. Remote Medical International (RMI) states most head injuries within the construction and manufacturing industry are caused by slips and falls. According to OSHA, in 2016, 38 percent of all fatalities in the workplace were caused by falls, making it the leading cause of fatalities in the workplace.
With proper head protection, these common yet serious injuries could likely be prevented, ultimately saving lives in the event of a worker slipping or falling. Companies could prevent hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost time and compensation payouts to the injured worker and insurance companies could see less claims and overall lower risk.
This article originally appeared in the September 2021 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.