A question of standards
December 1st 2008 Current levels of understanding surrounding head protection may be leaving many workers over protected while others are be being left under protected. Georgina Bisby investigates
Getting workers into the habit of wearing head protection can be a constant battle. I recently visited a building site where the health and safety manager described a game of cat and mouse between the workers and those charged with site safety. "People's resistance to wearing helmets isn’t just because hard hats can be uncomfortable to wear, it is also because they they can be regarded as unnecessary in certain locations," the manager explained. He cited the example of a plasterer working in a room where the heavy construction is finished who might not see any reason for wearing his hat inside that room – in fact he may see it as a real hindrance. Often he will leave it by the door and pick it up as he goes out. This could also be true of roofers who are working at the highest point of a building and are in no danger of having anything drop on their head.
Moving around below scaffolding or a racking system is a totally different matter and most people would agree that a hard hat is an essential safety requirement, but questions have been raised over how much protection some helmets used in these environments offer? Benedict Ward, sales and marketing director of JSP suggests sometimes there are issues surrounding peoples perception of the levels of protection offered by helmets and the actual levels of protection provided. "Helmets which comply to BS EN397 are more than adequate in many environments but there are environments in which workers are constantly looking up when they are likely to need better protection against side impacts," says Ward.
To understand the issues better it is useful to look at the standards for occupational safety helmets:
1. The industrial bump cap BS EN812
Bump caps are intended to provide protection to the wearer against the effects of striking their head against hard stationary objects with sufficient severity to cause superficial injuries. A corner of a kitchen wall unit is a case in point. No kitchen fitter is likely to wear an industrial safety helmet all day but they may well wear a bump cap. There is an enhanced A1 variant of this standard which requires the bump cap to provide 60 degree protection around the head. There are models such as the JSP Hard Cap A1+ which adhere to this standard.
2. Industrial safety helmets BS EN397
Industrial safety helmets are intended primarily to provide protection to the wearer against falling objects and are not intended to provide protection against off crown impacts.
There are several models on the market which comply to this standard and make comfort and style as well as safety a priority. As well as a sweatband and flexible headband the new Reflex model from Centurion for example provides increased neck protection and the added safety benefit of enabling the wearer to be seen in poor light – giving them more reasons to put the helmet on and keep it on.
The standard says mandatory requirements for this type of helmet also includes flame resistant properties. In addition the helmets may have shock absorption properties at very low temperatures and very high temperatures, have electrical insulation properties, have lateral deformation properties and provide protection against molten metal splash.
The limitations of the BS EN397 as Ward sees it is that many people believe that these hats offer total protection against falling objects when some lightweight helmets offer minimal protection outside of the ‘Magic Circle’ of the 50mm radius of the crown.
Is this an issue? Ward says in JSP's experience it is, giving the example of a worker in Dubai whose life was saved when he was struck on the side of the head (see image). Ward says because the helmet he was wearing has high levels of side impact protection outside of the 50mm radius his life was saved but if he had been wearing a more lightweight helmet (which still complies to BS EN397) this may not have been the case.
This is why Ward sees BS EN14052 introduced in 2006 as essential. While as far as HSM knows there are no products on the market which comply to this standard yet, Ward suggests there are some which are closer to complying than others – the JSP Mark 7 for example – so it is worth doing your research, particularly if you are protecting workers in environments such as quarrying, mining, demolition where he suggests there is an increased case for protection that complies to this standard.
3. The high performance industrial helmet BS EN14052
The high performance industrial helmet should provide increased protection from falling objects, protection from off crown impacts and protection from “penetration by a flat blade striker.” This helmet should also have a retention system that meets requirements for system release and system effectiveness properties. The helmet has the same flame resistant properties as the industrial safety helmet and offers the same optional protection against other risks with the exception of lateral deformation. In other words they are no protection against the head being squashed.
Apart from selecting the right helmet for the location and type of work there is also the problems of care and maintenance. For example how does sunlight affect the hat? The Peltor Solaris helmet from Aearo, which won the 2008 BSIF safety innovation award for its badge that signalled solar degradation, has brought a useful focus on the quality of helmets, how they are stored and whether they have a shelf life. Do people know the history of the helmet they are using? If it's had a previous impact it may be ineffective but in a situation where people just grab a helmet off a peg this may well be the case.
Recent developments in standards and product design suggest we must move away from the notion that head protection can be grouped as a single entity if we are to optimise safety. More articles from Health & Safety Matters: | 
