The key element in any industrial safety program is to protect workers from potential head injuries. A head injury can cause serious impairment to an employee for life or even prove fatal. Wearing a safety hard hat or helmet is one of the most effective ways to protect a worker's head from injury. Hard hats provide protection to employees from falling items, impact, and penetration hazards. They also can protect workers from electrical shock and burn hazards. The key here is that employers MUST ensure that their employees wear head protection in any of the following situations:
- where objects have potential to fall from above
- obstacles where one might bump his/her head against fixed objects such as exposed pipes or beams
- possibility of accidental head contact with electrical hazards
Some examples of occupations in which employees should be REQUIRED to wear head protection include: electricians, linemen, carpenters, construction workers, plumbers and pipefitters, timber and log cutters, welders, and when performing many other hazardous tasks. Whenever there is a danger of objects falling from above such as when working below others who are using tools that might fall, or working under a conveyor belt, head protection is required. In order to provide for maximum safety, hard hats must be worn with the bill forward. Generally, safety hard hats or helmets should protect in the following ways:
- absorb the shock of a blow
- resist penetration from objects
- be water-resistant and slow to burn
- have clear instructions explaining proper adjustment and replacement of the headband and suspension
Protective headgear must meet ANSI Standard Z89.1-2014 (Protective Headgear for Industrial Workers) as well as later revisions to the Standard or provide an equivalent level of protection. Hard hats must have a hard outer shell and a shock-absorbing lining that includes a headband and straps that suspend the shell from 1 to 1 ¼ inches (2.54 cm to 3.18 cm) away from the top of the head. This type of design provides ventilation and shock absorption from an impact during normal wear.
Once again, protective headgear is only effective is it is WORN! It is the responsibility of both the employer and each employee to ensure that hard hats/helmets are utilized in any hazardous situation.
| Texas America Safety Company |
| 4400 Danhil Drive |
| Brownwood, TX 76801 |
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| Toll Free 1-800-646-5346 |
| Outside US 1-325-646-5346 |
| Local 325-646-5346 |
| Fax 1-325-646-3790 |
| sales@tasco-safety.com |
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