Head
Protection
The Safety Source
offers a variety of Head Protection products, you may select from
the list below or from the left hand sidebar.
Head
& Face Selection Guide
The following information
covers standards and reccommendations for protective head gear commonly
used in constrution and industrial settings. We hope that this will guide
you making an informed decision between the advanced head protection,
classic head protection, and economy head protection, high-heat applications,
or bump caps.
Hard Hat Replacement
Guidelines
Users of industrial
head protection devices must realize that these products do not have an
indefinite useful life. Argus recommends that a regular head protection
replacement program be conducted by employers as a responsive solution
to the task of addressing service life of hard hats/caps.
Since the details
of such a program must be developed based on work conditions at each job
site, it is impossible to provide a specific time frame for cap replacement.
As a general guideline, many large corporations replace all employees'
caps every five years, regardless of the cap's outward appearance
Where user environments
are known to include higher exposure to temperature extremes, sunlight
or chemicals, hard hats/caps should be replaced automatically after two
years of use. This is based on information and cap samples returned after
exposure to such conditions. In certain rare instances, a cap should be
replaced within less than two years.
If a cap has been
struck by a forcible blow of any magnitude, both the hard hat shell and
suspension should be replaced immediately, even if no damage is visible.
The following is a
simple field test that can be performed by an employee or supervisor to
determine possible degradation of polyethylene shells:
Compress the shell
inward from the sides about 1" (2.5 cm) with both hands and then
release the pressure without dropping the shell. The shell should quickly
return to its original shape, exhibiting elasticity. Compare the elasticity
of the sample with that of a new shell. If the sample does not exhibit
elasticity similar to that of a new shell, or if it cracks due to brittleness,
it should be replaced immediately.
American National
Standard for Industrial Head Protection
ANSI Z89.1-2003
This is the fifth
revision of the standard that provides performance and testing requirements
for industrial helmets, commonly known as hard hats. It is a revision
of ANSI Z89.1-1997, which established the types and classes of protective
helmets, depending on the type of hazard encountered. The 1997 version
included specifications for helmets designed to offer protection from
lateral impact, or top-only impact, giving employers and users the flexibility
to specify the helmet that best meets the needs of their specific workplace.
Industrial head protective
helmets meeting the requirements of the 2003 standard are classified as
Type I for top protection or Type II for lateral impact protection. Both
types are tested for impact attenuation and penetration resistance. Type
II helmet performance requirements include criteria for impact energy
attenuation from impacts from the front, back and sides as well as the
top; off-center penetration resistance, and chin strap retention.
The three classes
indicate the helmets electrical insulation rating, unchanged from 1997:
Class E
(electrical) are tested to withstand 20,000 volts;
Class G
(general) helmets are tested at 2200 volts; and
Class C
(conductive) provide no electrical protection.
Changes in this revision
of the standard are minor compared to the 1997 version. Redundancy in
the previous test methods has been eliminated, with only the most severe
anvil test retained. In an effort to recognize state-of-the-art materials
performance and technology, some physical requirements for helmet components
that did not provide added user value, or limited design or performance,
were removed.
Copies of the standard
are available from the ISEA. Order on-line at: www.safetyequipment.org
Bullard® Product Information
The following Bullard®
hard hats/helmets meet the revised ANSI Z89.1-2003 standard:
| Model
|
|
Standard
Type and Class |
| 3000 |
|
ANSI Z89.1-2003,
Type I, Class E & G |
| |
|
302RT ANSI Z89.1-2003,
Type I, Class E & G |
| 303 |
|
ANSI Z89.1-2003,
Type I, Class E & G |
| 5100 |
|
ANSI Z89.1-2003,
Type I, Class E & G |
| 4100 |
|
ANSI Z89.1-2003,
Type I, Class E & G |
| 911C |
|
ANSI Z89.1-2003,
Type I, Class E & G |
| 911H |
|
ANSI Z89.1-2003,
Type I, Class E & G |
| 5100P |
|
ANSI Z89.1-2003,
Type I, Class E & G |
| 502 |
|
ANSI Z89.1-2003,
Type I, Class G |
| Advent |
|
ANSI Z89.1-2003,
Type II, Class E & G |
| Vector |
|
ANSI Z89.1-2003,
Type II, Class E & G |
Bullard®
Technical Bulletins (PDF FORMAT)
The following bulletins
are provided from Bullard and relate to hard hat/helmet issues:
Backwards
Wearing
Head Protection Backwards (PDF format, 11 Kb)
Outside
Objects
Objects
Inside Hard Hats (PDF format, 9 Kb)
Painting
Painting
Fire Helmets (PDF format, 8 Kb)
Attaching
Stickers
Attaching
Stickers on Hard Hats (PDF format, 68 Kb)
You may
also contact Argus for further guidance and selection information.
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