WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is replacing traditional hard hats used by its employees with more modern safety helmets to better protect agency employees from head injuries when they are on inspection sites.
In 2020, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported head injuries accounted for nearly six per cent of non-fatal occupational injuries involving days away from work. Almost half of those injuries occurred when workers came in contact with an object or equipment and about 20 per cent were caused by slips, trips and falls.
Traditional hard hats protect the top of a worker’s head but have minimal side impact protection and also lack chin straps, states a release, adding without the straps, hard hats can fall off a worker’s head if they slip or trip, leaving them unprotected. In addition, traditional hard hats lacked vents and trapped heat inside.
OSHA recently published a Safety and Health Information Bulletin outlining the key differences between traditional hard hats and more modern safety helmets and the advancements in design, materials and other features that help protect workers’ entire heads better, adds the release.
Modern safety helmets may also offer face shields or goggles to protect against projectiles, dust and chemical splashes as well as built-in hearing protection and/or communication systems to enable clear communication in noisy environments.
The agency recommends safety helmets be used by people working in the construction industry and the oil and gas industry; in high-temperature, specialized work and low-risk environments; performing tasks involving electrical work and working from heights; and when required by regulations or industry standards.
Why nor show photographs of the Hard Hats and emphasis the difference in the new Safety Helmits,that would be a more informative story.