OSHA Standards for Wearing a Hard Hat

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the agency for enforcing workplace safety laws, provides standards to protect workers from possible dangers at the workplace. For the construction industry, one of those protections is the OSHA standards for wearing a hard hat.

Head Protection Standard

According to the OSHA 1926.100(a) standard, "Employees working in areas where there is a possible danger of head injury from impact, or from falling or flying objects, or from electrical shock and burns, shall be protected by protective helmets."

Responsibilities
The "Duty of Care" principle means companies need to plan for the prevention of accidents at worksites. Under this standard, an employer must initially evaluate the activities of its employees and the surrounding activities on the job site and determine whether these hazards require the need for a hard hat to be worn. Employees who are obligated to wear a hard hat can be penalized under OSHA regulations for failing to wear the hat.

Performance
OSHA relies on the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z89.1-1997 guideline for compliance regarding hard hats. This ANSI statute recognizes three classes of hard hats, each which must withstand blows to the head and exposure to a variety of electrical impacts. The head wear must be tested for penetration, flammability resistance and water absorption.

Optional Test Criteria

Three optional test criteria are used by manufacturers of protective helmets based on ANSI Z89.1-2009. Reverse donning tests measure performance whether the hard hat is worn frontward or backwards. Low temperature tests show whether the hard hat meets perfomance requirements to -30 C (-22 F). High visibility testing indicates the hard hat meets requirements for high visibility colors.

Exemptions
In 1978 OSHA provided an exemption from wearing hard hats for employees who are members of the Old Order Amish or Sikh Dharma Brotherhood religious communities. In 1993, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act created OSHA standards for wearing a hard hat for employers and employees with specific

personal religious convictions. In such cases, the employer will not enforce wearing a hard hat, will instruct workers about the hazards of not wearing a hard hat and will contact OSHA.

HARD HAT FACTS

Q. What is the service life of my hard hat? A. The hard hats are designed with high quality, wear-resistant materials but it WILL NOT last forever. The protective properties of the helmet WILL be degraded by exposure to many common work environments, such as temperature extremes, chemical exposure, sunlight and normal daily wear and tear. The following is a recommend replacement schedule: Hard Hat Suspension - replace after NO MORE THAN 12 months; Entire Hard Hat - replace after NO MORE THAN 5 years. Remember that these are MAXIMUM useful service life guidelines. Wear or damage noticed during a regular inspection MUST be the determining factor for possible earlier replacement. In any case, ALWAYS replace the hard hat after it has withstood impact or penetration. Q. There is a date code on the inside of my hard hat is this when the service life starts? A. A hard hats service life starts when it is placed in service. This date should be recorded in the helmet, either on the ANSI label or with the use of a date of service label. The "date code" stamped on the inside of your hard hat refers to the date of manufacture, not the starting date for useful service. Q. I have a suspension from a manufacturer other than the original manufacturer, can I use it? A. NEVER attempt to interchange suspensions from one hat manufacturer to another. Use only the appropriate replacement parts from the original manufacturer. If you do not know who manufactured your hard hat you will need to replace the entire hard hat. Q. Can I wear my hard hat backwards? A. This depends on the manufacturer of your hard hat. If the suspension attachment points on your hard hat are the same from front to back, the suspension can be reversed and the cap worn with the brim facing the rear and still meet the requirements of the applicable protective headwear standard. Be sure that the suspension has been reversed so that the nape strap is in the rear. Many hard hat manufactures now offer swing-style suspensions that allow for you to quickly reverse the direction of your hard hat. Q. Can I paint my hard hat? A. Never paint a hard hat. Paint may chemically attack and damage the hard hats shell, thereby reducing the degree of protection originally provided. Q. Can I put anything in the space between the hard hat shell and suspension?

A. Items such as gloves, cigarettes and earplugs should NEVER be stored between the suspension and the shell. This space is needed when the shell and suspension absorbs the energy of an impact. Such objects in this space can transmit large forces to the head and neck, resulting in serious injury or death.