Head protection in action

Since Patrick started his career as a delivery driver in 2006, he had never had an accident. This changed on Thursday 19^th June, 2018 when he was unloading sheet steel at a port. Some sheets had been rolled to form curves and were supported during transit by trestles, all of which were secured by ratchet straps. With the port being very strict with load handling and it makes sure every individual wears a hard hat, high visibility jacket and steel toe cap boots at all times.

When releasing the very last strap, the curved sheets pushed down onto the trestle, pushing it out from under the load. Five sheets of the sheet steel then sprang down onto Patrick’s safety helmet, pushing it down onto the flat sheets below. The sheer impact forced his head out of the safety helmet and away from the steel. Patrick sustained a broken elbow and escaped with only a couple of bruises to the side of his head and minor cuts to his left eye lid and forehead.

Cases such as this help to raise awareness and showcase the importance of how important it is to wear quality head protection. Helmet manufacturers with in-house research and development departments continue to develop helmets which outperform safety standards by using advanced materials with the latest technology. 

Wearing the correct head protection is vital when it comes to protecting your skull and brain when operating in potentially hazardous or dangerous conditions. Safety helmets or hard hats are predominantly used in workplace environments such as industrial or construction sites to protect the head from injury due to falling objects, impact with other objects, debris, rain, and electric shock. 

While industrial head protection standards have changed little since BS2826 was published in 1957 the manufacture and style of head protection used in the workplace has changed considerably in the last 62 years. In the last decade risks encountered have changed dramatically in the Construction Industry as projects have become more challenging. The increase of the redevelopment of brownfield sites where there is a great deal of demolition, the trend for large sky-scraper type buildings as well as the big infrastructure projects like the construction of Hinckley Point nuclear power station has led the Construction Industry to call for higher levels of head protection on site. Head protection that just meets the requirements of the current Industrial Safety Helmet standard EN397, are often just not good enough.

Firstly, it is essential to choose the right head protection for the task. Analyse the risks, determine the protection needed, identify where the helmet is going to be worn whether that is on the ground, working at height or in a confined space then choose the helmet which complies to the correct standard you need.

Secondly, it is crucial that the helmet is extremely comfortable when worn. Workers must be happy to wear the helmet all day long enabling them to have the correct protection when needed and to all them to concentrate on their work and therefore increase safety and productivity. 

Thirdly, adaptability is key. Choosing a helmet with a good quality, fully adjustable material suspension system for added comfort, a wheel ratchet system to ensure the perfect fit, venting for cooling, insulation to keep warm, padding to enhance shock absorption and a range of accessories for the job being carried out are all important .