SAFETY INSITE WINTER 2011 - Site Safe

PERSONAL
PROTECTIVE
EQUIPMENT -
HARD HATS
Introduction
The use of occupational protective helmets, commonly known as “hard hats”, is a common means
of protection from being struck by falling objects or from striking the head against a fixed or
protruding object. Hard hats may also be required to protect against other hazards such as
inadvertent contact with electricity, exposure to UV, weather, and extremes of temperature.
For compliance with the Health and Safety Act 1992, the use of hard hats for protection must be
considered as a means of ‘minimisation’. If no practicable means to entirely ‘eliminate’ or ‘isolate’
the hazard are available then hard hats may be a practicable method to ‘minimise’ harm in
conjunction other preferable hazard control methods.
Main points
• Hard hats may include features that enable the attachment of accessories for protection
from other hazards. These could include face shields, respirators, hearing protection, and
work lights/lamps. Consideration should also be given to the benefits or limitations of
having ventilation openings and hi-viz colouring.
• For the harness cradle to properly distribute any impact loading there must be no
interference between the harness and the head. Therefore, wearing clothing items
between the harness and the head (such as hoods, baseball caps, and thickly woven or
heavily seamed beanies or balaclavas) is not recommended. Certain hairstyles (such as
dreadlocks) may also compromise the harness performance.
o Safety clothing distributors now offer seamless polypropylene (or similar)
‘beanies’ for protection from cold that do not interfere with the harness
performance.
• Some styles of harness are symmetrically designed and may be fitted back to front inside
the helmet to provide functional upward vision for the wearer. Care must be taken that this
does not compromise the effectiveness of the hard hat.
• Hard hats do not have a predetermined service life. Field tests have shown that helmet
shells last for 3 years from issue date. Components of harnesses may deteriorate more
rapidly in service and may need to be replaced at intervals not longer than 2 years.
Discussion points
• The harness cradle of the hard hat must be adjusted to comfortably fit and make for full
continuous contact with head.
• Chin straps can be used where hard hat security is desirable
• Ensure that any attachments for protection from other hazards are compatible with the
make and model of hard hat being worn.
• When not in use, hard hats must be stored in a cool, dry environment away from direct
sunlight, heavy or sharp objects and chemicals.
• The shell of the hard hat can be weakened by exposure to paints, paint thinners, and
some cleaning agents and may also reduce electrical resistance. Keep in mind that paint
and stickers can also hide signs of deterioration in the hard hat shell.
PTO.
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