Hard Hats

Head protection is not just nice to have on a job site; it is often a requirement. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recognizes protecting workers from potential head injuries is a key element of many safety programs, and 3M designs and produces hard hats, face shields, combination systems, and accessories in several styles and colors to meet diverse needs.

OSHA states that employers must conduct a hazard assessment and ensure that their employees wear head protection if there is potential for injury from impact, falling or flying objects, or electrical shocks and burns. Wearing the proper head protection, such as bump caps, hard hats, or safety helmets, can help reduce the potential for injury that can leave workers with serious head injuries that prevent them from working and, in the worst cases, cause permanent damage. Hard hats, sometimes called helmets, are designed to help protect workers from head trauma due to small objects falling from overhead. They also help reduce force from transmitting down the spine if an impact does occur and provide a rigid physical barrier when in contact with fixed objects (exposed beams, pipes, and more); electrically insulated models help protect from electrical shock.

Despite national and private safety standards for hard hat use, occupational head injuries are more common than expected. In 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics received reports of 84,750 nonfatal head injuries requiring time off from work **. There are different shapes of hard hats ranging from traditional to cowboy hat shapes. The most common shapes are cap style and full brim (also called wide brim). They all must meet the same performance requirements regardless of the shape or style, and the standards generally test for impact, penetration, electrical insulation, and temperature.

Regulations and Standards

• Customer: OSHA Title 29 CFR 1910.135 - Head Protection
• Required in areas where there is a possible danger of head injury from impact, falling or flying objects, or electrical shocks and burns
• Manufacturer: ANSI/ISEA Z89.1-2014 Industrial Head Protection
• General minimum performance and label requirements
• Hazards: impact type, penetration, electrical, and high visibility in occupational and educational environments
• Electrical Classes
• Class C - Not rated against contact with electrical conductors - Protect against impact and penetration only
• Class G - Protect up to 2,200 V - Protect against impact, penetration, and low-voltage electrical conductors; for certification, sample shells are proof-tested at 2,200 V of electrical char
• Class E - Protect up to 20,000 V - Protect against impact, penetration, and high-voltage electrical conductors; sample shells are proof-tested at 20,000 V of electrical charge
• Marking - Reverse donning
• LT - Lower temperature
• HT - Higher temperature
• HV - High visibility
• Impact Types - Type I and Type II definitions, classifications, and requirements differ from country to country; customers should check the requirements in their location against the certification or rating of the hard hat they plan to use
• Type 1 - Top impact
• Type 2 - Top and side impact

**Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Type of injury or illness and body parts affected by nonfatal injuries and illnesses in 2014 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2015/type-of-injury-or-illness-and-body-parts-affected-by-nonfatal-injuries-and-illnesses-in-2014.htm (visited June 21, 2022).