OSHA staff switch to safety helmets from hard hats

I am a Construction EHS Engineer for Intel Corporation. I have numerous General Contractors, and even more sub contractors that are under my charge. Although Intel has not officially changed to the use of helmets versus hardhats, many Intel employees and Business Units have made the internal decision to switch. Our contractors have also made the similar decision. Overall, the data that I have obtained from my craft partners, the helmets are a better choice. Although they take getting use to (especially the chin strap), the workers prefer the comfort and reduced weight of the helmet, compared to the hard hat. They also like the fact that the option to attached various attachments to protect for various hazards onto a single helmet, is great. They do not need to change between different hardhats, to achieve the appropriate level of protection they would need.

Dumbest idea ever !

Although the "helmets" off some protection on the side of the head they pose a much greater risk for serious injury. With the straps holding the helmet right to your head if the straps get caught on something there is a much greater risk for strangulation or lacerations from the straps. In addition we're a cleaning bow from a falling object will knock the traditional hard hat off your head the helmet does not allow this because of the straps. And most traditional hard hats have the same ability to use face shields, hearing protection and communication devices and head lamps.

Now I want to see you all put a welding helmet on and the switch back to a grinding shield, then to a torch/plasma cutting shield, then back to a welding hood and then tell me what the problem is. The other issue is, I had an experience in 2013 that had I been wearing one of these hard hats, I would be dead because Bill in front would have deflected the clip and the come along into my face more than it already did and the chin strap being attached would have broke my neck. You all should make these optional not mandatory. You're going to get someone killed.

Great to see OSHA take a “leadership” role. Some may say long overdue while others better late than never. I say if our workers are our most valuable assets then why not make the switch. Thanks to true construction industry visionaries like Joe W, Scott G, and Cal B. Go to www.ASCConline.org to find out more about the H2H movement. Thank you!

The hard hats don’t get hot wearing them yes they will fall off it you slip trip or fall but being the helmets yall are requiring fit tighter and with stay on our head with a strap be hotter because a helmet is tight to your head and on top that the electrical industry for what I do everything has to be FR that means can’t be no metal pieces in the helmets are the helmets going to be FR too Because if that’s the case everything you touch in a 500kv substation with shock you if not grounded and if anyone says you can’t get shocked in a 500Kv substation has never worked it before I work them every day 365 days a year

You are now over reaching. Your direction of using these helmets need to be left to each employer, here is a FACT with the vents you have stated, these helmets are NOT safe for those in electrical trades because they do not provide the same electrical protection as the solid hard hats. Before you jump on your pedestal, get your facts right.

Nice,but you know the Chin Strap needs to be tight to prevent the Helmet falling off the head,but at the same time,those who use the chin Strap all day complained about the chin Strap being too tight

Where is the visor?

Found this study interesting: https://www.cell.com/action/showPdf?pii=S2405-8440%2822%2901250-6. Will OSHA or ANSI commission a similar one?

While these helmets may be appropriate for certain circumstances, such as walking around on a jobsite, or crawling in an attic, they are certainly do not appear as safe and versatile as a regular hardhat and straps can pose a serious hazard. Full brim hardhats with side impact protection and side vents are already available and used in oil and gas and electrical applications. Regular hard hats are capable of attaching additional full-brim sun shields to protect against sunburn for outdoor work, these do not allow for that. They also do not have a full brim; therefore do not protect the back of the neck from falling debris. The chin straps may be caught in moving machinery if they are loose or become damaged. Tight chin straps cause irritation from sweat and skin rashes. Most workers will wear them loose. Full brimmed hardhats already have attachments for chin straps for use in windy conditions. Most workers do not wear them on a regular basis, other than in windy conditions because they are irritating and uncomfortable. Regular hardhats have plenty of air space and ventilation and because they are not tight to the head, there is greater protection from impact of falling/flying debris. Having the shell closer to the wearer's head means more force is transmitted to the head of the wearer. The space around the suspension of hardhats allows for the compression and expulsion of air around the head when there is impact; thus protects the head. Having the shell closer to the head where the shell can touch the head or face would be much less protection. Further, what studies have been performed on this type of head protection to determine the likely incidence of traumatic brain injury versus the regular hardhat during a fall where the head strikes an fixed object and during a in incident where an object strikes the head of the wearer? What science indicates these helmets are better than regular full-brimmed hardhats that have side-impact protection? What studies have been done to determine their protection from electrical hazards, versus the solid full-brimmed regular hardhat? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics https://www.bls.gov/iif/nonfatal-injuries-and-illnesses-tables.htm ( Table R13. Detailed nature by selected parts of body affected ), traumatic injuries to muscles, tendons ligaments and joints account for the majority of non-fatal injuries. Table R31. Detailed event or exposure by selected natures indicates that violence by people or animals and transportation incidents account for the majority of injuries. In addition, health care and transportation and moving of materials accounted for the highest rates of injury. Those statistics would seem to indicate that OSHA should be focusing more on reducing workplace injuries for health care workers and those involved in transportation and moving of materials, rather than changing hard hats. Perhaps more data should be collected before recommending changes in head protection and more studies should be done.

Absolutely not! Isn't it just like these desk jockeys to make decisions without any real working experience? I've worked in the oil and coal field over twenty years, and the only time my hardhat has ever fell off my head is if I needed it to. During our last outage we had two groups of sub contractors wearing these and the majority of them said they were horribly uncomfortable and the straps were actually making sores on them. By the end of the job most were wearing them with the strap dangling free or removed altogether. Also, several stated that they could feel a normal knock to the hat way more than their old hardhat. I can tell you that the vast majority of people working in my field have said they flat out refuse to wear it. I support safety on our jobs 100%, but y'all have missed the mark on this one.

Chin strap is nice to keep your hard hat helmet on .i agree but i see it becoming a choke hazard somewhere along the line . Feel that it’s a better way for your hard hat not to fall off but if something was to happen to where god please not happen to anybody but stuff happens. Freak acts of nature. Sounds good I won’t have to pick my hard hat up a few times a week but but don’t like anything around my neck .

THERE HAS BEEN A PUSH FOR THESEBTHINGS FOR 20 YEARS with the helmet industry making an exhausting effort to get general construction workers to wear a damn mountain climbing helmet that is big in high rise work. THERE ARE no statistics behind changing the type of helmets used in general construction. No increade in head injuries and just plain BS.THERE ARE CHIN straps available if needed for this work. It's totally a sell out and anyone doesn't need one it's an OSHA Officer. Laughable. This is totally a money grab by this industry period.

Appreciate your info on this matter. So does this mean the term hard hat is also obsolete?

I think we need to leave the choice up to the people who wear them. Really hoping that it does not come down to making them mandatory. Both have their good and bad, but both serve their purpose. Leave it up to the people who wear them!

Thank you

Question,are the hard hat durable

I see as to the pics that although there is a brim. On the front of the hard hat. To protect the face from falling objects. But there is no brim on the back of the hard hat. My round hard hat has a brim all the way around it. Which better protects several parts of my body. I’ve been in the construction field of work. For over 30 years. Not many times has my hard hat fallen off. Probably since I don’t have a hair style that prohibits the proper fit of the hard hat plus I don’t try to wear a ball cap under my hard hat. Like many do. Even though to the best of my knowaledge it’s not approved by O.S.HA. to do either. I don’t want to change to the helmet. Thank you

OShA is full of crap, if the really wanted to protect workers then increase the fines on companies that have work place fatalities because of substandard working conditions.

The best safety device is a smart human. The next best thing is being aware of your surroundings. Which goes hand in hand with the first thing. The real danger to all workers is complacency and only culture will fix that. Safety should be second nature but first priority. Not to nitpick but regulating head wear based on possible outcomes derived from a short duration of "unprotected" time, which results from a shortfall of safety culture and awareness. That is truly near sighted thinking, plain and simple and only general safety should be plain and simple. A safe culture would have reduced and limited the event or circumstances that would lead to a trip or fall, that could have resulted in injury. Accidents are unintended and uncontrolled byproducts of complacency or poorly understood conditions, or just malice behavior. If the intent is to really create a reduced risk of "unprotected" time. Then just head wear is not the answer, only a small part of the solution. This is not the hill I wish to die on, but if the selling feature is based on a "what if in this certain series of unfortunate events..." Then maybe we should all be wrapped in chainmail and then again wrapped in bubble wrap... It would solve all noted injuries, not just a fall... It is rather exhausting working as an expert in my field and be degraded by circumstances that I have not been subjected to. Please stop, PLEASE STOP lower the lowest common denominator to protect those that can't see past their next coffee break. A smart human can learn from their mistakes and a wise human can learn from everyone's mistakes! Failure is the most underrated tool for learning, and when used with grace it is the greatest training platform. I'm not saying pain is gain but knowledge is most powerful tool in anyone's tool box. And you can attach any safety device you can think of to that! There have been alot of improvements towards changing culture towards a safer state. It is just demoralizing when adoption of a higher safety regulation by those that don't understand the original implementation. It creates a division abroad and therefore, in my opinion hinders the culture that we all should strive for. So it really does matter when the ones who regulate the rules and guide lines make changes. It ripples through out to all sectors of labour. I live in Western Canada and have seen similar adoptions of safety practices and procedures into our safety regulations. So thanks for hearing me out and stay safe and keep the new workers safe too. There is no sense is protecting our trade crafts if the workers can't continue the work due to injury or worse...

Good information, head protection is also very vital in the minerals extraction industry also.

Useful

Just got my new helmet from Milwaukee, and after clipping the strap together I was unable to rip them apart. I had to stand on one side of the strap and pull the other side before they came loose. Fun fact: it takes 33lbs of force to crush your trachea 100%, which is notably less than my Milwaukee helmet's chin strap. Majority of the people that want this hardhat helmet produce nothing besides memos.

As a 25-year EHS Professional, I wish I could get behind this but, well, I just can't in most situations. I agree with everyone that said it needs to be left up to the company or individual. As with all PPE there needs to be a hazard analysis performed and IF the hazards call for one, then I am on board. Again, 25 years of oil/gas and heavy construction experience, I can think of few to no cases where I will don one of these. Please don't over-safety to the point we can't work.