Harnessing sports tech to improve safety helmets

A JOINT report from the World Health Organization and the World Meteorological Organization, published in August 2025, estimated that more than 2.4 billion workers, around 71% of the global workforce, are exposed to excessive heat. The same report links heat exposure to approximately 22.87 million occupational injuries and nearly 19,000 deaths each year. Despite progress in Europe, workers in hot environments often still remove their PPE, particularly their helmets, to cool down, putting themselves at risk.

What sports gear teaches PPE design

An analogous environment where removal of safety equipment introduces high risk is in the sports sector, particularly skiing or cycling. Participating in adrenaline or endurance sports inevitably raises the body’s temperature and when wearing a helmet this can cause discomfort, one reason why Koroyd's material (the company's namesake) is expanding from its sports roots into PPE. 

There is something satisfying about the idea that technologies developed for elite athletes now protect people in industrial settings. Historically, sports equipment has driven advancements in protective design because performance and comfort are highly valued by athletes. Those same priorities are vital for personal protective equipment (PPE) where compliance and wearability determine whether it works and remains in place.   

Inside the material's performance

There are several features of the Koroyd material which make it highly suited for PPE. Its mechanical properties are constant for temperatures ranging from -20 to +50C. By comparison, foams like EPS have performed inconsistently at extreme temperatures, either softening or hardening. Additionally, the tubular geometry of the material has secondary temperature benefits as channels between tubes allow air to flow, improving cooling and reducing sweat accumulation, a major comfort factor for workers in hot climates.

Koroyd's tubular structure is 95% air; it allows humid air to dissipate and be displaced by cooler air. This can reduce the temperature inside a safety helmet by up to 4.5C for a crown and off-crown protective Type II helmet. This improved cooling brings a behavioural benefit as by reducing heat stress, Koroyd helps prevent short-term removal of PPE, which is often when accidents occur. On the practical front, Koroyd's ability to enable more compact, lower profile and lighter weight helmet designs, including ride height reduction, results in a sleeker, more practical helmet.        

When an impact occurs, lab tests have demonstrated that Koroyd compresses up to 73% versus foam materials such as EPS which, when tested in the same way, only compress up to 56%. This means that it is potentially 42% more efficient at absorbing the energy of an impact. Koroyd also includes a visual end-of-life indicator to demonstrate clearly whether products that use it are safe, or unsafe, for use.

Putting the claims to the test

Using controlled laboratory testing with a sweating thermal head-form (a dummy head that replicates human perspiration), a study by the company compared the microclimate created by industrial helmets using conventional expanded polystyrene liners against helmets incorporating Koroyd's open-cell, tubular energy-absorbing structure. The findings were presented in a recent whitepaper, Assessing Heat Stress in Industrial Helmets, which also highlights the wider safety implications of heat stress, including increased accident risk and reduced cognitive performance.

Koroyd's findings are intended to support manufacturers, safety professionals and regulators as they reassess PPE performance in the context of climate change, rising workplace temperatures and evolving expectations around worker protection.

Adopting sports technology in industry is not merely a branding exercise; it represents a shift in safety culture. When a hard hat is comfortable, workers are more likely to wear it. As an additional benefit, if it looks good then people are likely to feel less self-conscious when wearing PPE. This cross-pollination helps close a longstanding gap in occupational safety: protective equipment must protect and be suitable for long-term, real-world use, and in the context of heat stress, Koroyd's materials illustrate that principle.  

The whitepaper, Assessing Heat Stress in Industrial Helmets, is available to download here: tinyurl.com/3pax93xe 

Chris Ellerby is director of industrial safety and defence at Koroyd

For more information: 

koroyd.com