Have you ever removed your hard hat because it was too hot or uncomfortable? Or maybe you felt like it made you look silly, or maybe you thought you didn’t even need it because you haven’t been hurt before.
Whatever the reason may be, not wearing head protection when it’s needed is never a good idea. It’s dangerous. Hard hats help protect you from injuries and even death while around the hazards on a construction site or elsewhere.
But when do you know when a hard hat is required? Which one should you wear? Are there any that are stylish? Keep reading to find that out and more!
When are hard hats required?
Hard hats are an important piece of equipment designed to help protect your head from injuries. They can help prevent injuries from falling objects, debris, weather related elements, electricity, and more! According to OSHA, you must wear a hard hat for your protection in the following scenarios.
What hard hats are OSHA and ANSI compliant?
All hard hats and head protection may not be OSHA or ANSI compliant, but that doesn’t mean they cannot be used. However, when hard hats are required in the workplace, they must be an OSHA compliant hard hat. But in cases where they aren’t required, but you would just like a little extra protection, non-compliant hard hats and bump caps can be used. We’ll talk more about bump caps later!
So, how do you know if a hard hat is OSHA compliant? To simplify it, in order to meet OSHA’s requirements, the hard hat must fit the following criteria:
Then, in order to be ANSI compliant, you hard hat must:
Additionally, if your hard hat meets the ANSI standard Z891-2009, the following symbols must be present as required:
What are the different ANSI hard hat categories?
There are three different hard hat classes, according to the ANSI standards.
As well as classes, the other ANSI hard hat categorization is the hard hat type. There are two different hard hat types.
Learn more about Type I and Type II hard hats here!
What are the different hard hat suspensions?
Hard hats are available with suspensions with 4, 6, or 8 load-bearing points. The more suspension points a hard hat is, the better the hard hat distributes the force of the impact. Check out this MSA® V-Gard® White Full Brim Hard Hat with 4-Point Fas-Trac® III Suspension. Or this Pyramex® Ridgeline® Matte Black Full Brim Hard Hat with 4-Point Suspension.
Hard hats can be fitted with several different types of suspension adjustments that help make sure your hard hat fits comfortably. The most common is a pinlock adjustment. Hard hats with this type of adjustment must be removed to be adjusted by matching a pin to the corresponding hole in interlocking straps, much like a baseball cap. The other common type of adjustment is a ratchet. This type of adjustment only requires one hand and can be adjusted while wearing the hard hat by using a knob to tighten or loosen the fit. Such as this stylish LIFT® DAX® FIFTY50 Ratcheting Hard Hat.
How long is a hard hat good for?
OSHA doesn’t have an expiration date for hard hats, but some manufacturers may set a specific expiration date on their hard hats. However, even without a set expiration date, it is recommended to replace your hard hat every five years, and the support strap annually. This ensures that you aren’t using damaged and well-worn protective equipment that may fail when it is needed. Make sure to also replace your hard hat if, while performing a visual inspection, you can tell that it is damaged with cracks, penetrations, etc. In addition to a visual inspection, you can also perform another type of test to see if your hard hat should be replaced. To do this additional test, take your hard hat in two hands and apply force by squeezing the hat. If you hear creaking or unusual sounds, it’s a good indication that your hard hat needs replaced.
Hard Hat vs. Bump Cap
When a hard hat isn’t required, a bump cap can be worn instead to help protect your head from minor bumps that could lead to bruises, cuts, or abrasions. However, bump caps do not protect against falling objects like a hard hat does.
Read more about the differences between hard hats and bump caps here!
If you have further questions about hard hats or which one would be the perfect fit for you, we’re here to help! Talk to us today!