Head Protection – It’s not just what you wear, but the way that you wear it.

Because our brains control every aspect of both what we do and what we are, a life-changing head injury can have shockingly far-reaching consequences. Not only for the injured party – the emotional and financial ramifications for both their employers and family can be potentially catastrophic.

According to brain injury charity, Headway, head injuries account for 20% of overall injuries at work, but head protection, including safety helmets, only accounts for 3% of PPE purchases. Added to this, many businesses report that ensuring their workforce wear their safety helmets correctly is a particular challenge. It is important to examine the reasons for this to understand how your employees can be better protected.

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Available Safety Standards:

About EN397 EN397 is the current safety standard specifying physical and performance requirements for safety helmets. To comply with this standard, impact and shock absorption properties are tested under different circumstances and penetration resistance is measured. Any helmet complying with the standard must have fixings for, or a chinstrap present. Chinstraps are now viewed as an essential part of safety headwear; a four-point chinstrap will eliminate the possibility of the helmet falling off in the event of a fall. Centurion Concept Safety Helmet The Centurion Concept is an EN397 compliant helmet that is lightweight, ventilated and highly durable. More info & ordering

About EN1249 Falls from height are the single largest cause of death in the workplace. If an employee is working at height, many would turn to the world of mountaineering for safety inspiration. Safety standard EN12492 covers helmets which are tested against impacts from additional side angles and include a harness to prevent the helmet being lost in the event of a fall. Unfortunately, these helmets are often found to be less comfortable due to their additional impact absorbing material, and the stronger harnesses are a potential strangulation hazard.

A helmet is only safe and effective if it is worn correctly. As previously mentioned, many businesses report difficulties with workers either not wearing safety headwear at all or wearing it in an unsafe manner, without a chinstrap. But changing their behavioural reliability requires a level of employee engagement which can only be achieved if the helmet is both comfortable and allows the worker to do their job without impediment. Features to look out for include:

• Comfortable straps – such as soft webbing rather than polyethylene
• Ratchet adjustment for a perfect fit
• Lighter weight
• Ventilation will ensure that heat build-up is reduced effectively (unless the helmet is being used for handling chemicals or in protection against electric arc)
• otential for wearing with hearing protection and visual protection – many helmets are available with integrated add-ons which support additional safety hazards without the need for remembering to don multiple items
• Inner textiles and padding – check if they are washable
• Helmet liners can ensure that barriers to safe working are removed. Thermal liners, waterproof liners and cooling pads are all available to make the wearer more comfortable whatever the weather

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Eisen Altezza Safety Helmet This high-quality EN397 compliant helmet has been reported by wearers to be very comfortable. Its harness is safe to use at height and has lower chinstrap breakage points to prevent strangulation if the wearer falls and is caught up in their headwear. As well as being lightweight and well ventilated, importantly it has an integrated visor – supporting the resolution of the common behavioural issue of workers forgetting to don eye protection as well as their safety headwear. More info & ordering

View our range of Head Protection and accessories here