Taking Care of Your Hard Hat
(Taken from Occupational Health & Safety, November 2001)
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Kristin
Bacon
Occupational Health & Safety
Magazine
If the hard hat you put on every day is 10 years old and brittle from
age, yet comfortable and familiar, do yourself and your family a favor
by retiring it.
The hard
hat is one of the oldest, most widely used, and most important pieces
of personal protective equipment (PPE) on the job. So, why is it so often
misused and abused?There's no question that many workers have been saved
from serious injury or even death because they were wearing a hard hat.
Even with the best intentions, the effectiveness of any PPE on the job
is limited when the product is not properly worn, maintained, and replaced
when needed. Here are some essential facts you should know about your
hard hat.
General Inspection
The hard hat consists of two components: the shell and the suspension.
Both require inspection during assembly and before each use. During shell
inspection, you should look for cracks, nicks, dents, gouges, and any
damage caused by impact, penetration, abrasions, or rough treatment. Additionally,
if your hard hat is made of thermoplastic (polyethylene, polycarbonate)
materials, inspect the shell for the following: stiffness, brittleness,
fading, dullness of color, or a chalky appearance. If the shell exhibits
any of these conditions or if it is obviously otherwise damaged, it should
be removed from service and replaced immediately.
Inspecting for
Effects of UV Exposure
Ultraviolet light is the hard hat's worst enemy. Although ultraviolet
inhibitors are added to some manufacturers' hard hat shells, all hard
hats are susceptible to deterioration from UV exposure over time. This
is why it is so important that you never store your hard hat in the rear
window of a vehicle, or anywhere that it is exposed to sunlight when not
in use. If the work environment exposes the worker and hard hat to high
levels of sunlight, the hat should be replaced more frequently.
If the
user environment is known to include higher exposure to temperature
extremes, sunlight, or chemicals, hard hats should be replaced routinely
after two years of use.
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Many times, outdoor
workers wear hard hats in high-visibility colors so they will be more
visible to fellow workers or to oncoming motorists. In these cases, it
is especially critical to monitor hard hat color stability during prolonged
daylight exposure. Replace hard hats as soon as fading is evident to ensure
continued worker visibility and safety.
Field Testing
for Degraded Shells
A simple field test can be performed to determine possible degradation
of polyethylene shells:Compress the shell inward from the sides about
1 inch with both hands, then release the pressure without dropping the
shell. The shell should quickly return to its original shape, exhibiting
elasticity. There should be no residual deformation. 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 because of
brittleness, it should be replaced immediately.
Inspecting Your
Suspension
The main purpose of a hard hat's suspension is to absorb the shock of
a blow to the top of the hard hat. Considering this, inspection of the
hard hat suspension system is equally as important as inspecting the shell,
but it is all too often overlooked.
The suspension should
be inspected closely for cracks or tears, frayed or cut straps, loss of
pliability, or other signs of wear. Whether your hard hat has a 4-point
or 6-point suspension (the number of keys that are engaged in the hard
hat's shell), all keys should fit tightly and securely into their respective
key slots. Refer to the manufacturer's instructions on assembling. Any
suspension that shows signs of damage should be removed from service and
replaced immediately to ensure ongoing protection of the wearer.
Replacement Program
Hard hats have a reasonable service life when used in normal work environments
and properly maintained. However, useful life is not indefinite, and there
are some recommended guidelines for hard hat replacement.
Stickers
won't harm the hard hat's performance under normal conditions, but
limit their use so the helmet shell can be inspected for signs of
damage regularly.
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Many employers replace
all employees' caps every five years, regardless of outward appearance.
If the user environment is known to include higher exposure to temperature
extremes, sunlight, or chemicals, hard hats should be replaced routinely
after two years of use. Most hard hats have manufacture date codes molded
on the underside brim of the cap so you can easily determine the age of
the cap.
Regardless of length
of use, if a hard hat has been struck by a forcible blow of any magnitude,
the shell and suspension should be replaced immediately, even if no damage
is visible. Dropping a hard hat more than eight to ten feet warrants a
replacement. Don't take a chance that it "might" be OK, because it's not
worth the risk. Hard hats are designed to provide optimal protection under
normal conditions. Any impact can substantially reduce the protection
offered.
Warnings and Precautions
- Never alter or
modify the hard hat shell or suspension. This can drastically reduce
the amount of protection provided.
- Drilling holes
in the hard hat shell for ventilation purposes must be prohibited at
all times.
- Always avoid contact
of the hard hat with electrical wires.
- Never use a suspension
that is not intended for use with a particular shell or one that is
made by a different manufacturer.
- Never carry or
wear anything inside of your hard hat between the suspension and the
shell. A clearance must be maintained between the hard hat shell and
the wearer's head for the protection system to work properly. A ball
cap or other object may limit this clearance. An object placed under
the cap may also contain metal parts that may diminish the dielectric
protection provided by the hat. There are some products, such as winterliners
and sunshades, that are designed specifically to work in conjunction
with hard hats. Be sure to follow manufacturer's recommendations for
the use of these products.
Use of Adhesive
Stickers
It has become a common practice for hard hat users to apply self-adhesive
stickers to "personalize" their hard hats or for other marking or identification
purposes. Considering the type of adhesive used in typical pressure-sensitive
stickers, there is very little potential for chemical interaction between
the adhesive and the helmet shell. As a result, the use of stickers would
not be expected to negatively affect the performance of the helmet under
normal conditions.
Hard hats
are designed to provide optimal protection under normal conditions.
Any impact can substantially reduce the protection offered.
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There are a couple
of rules to follow related to stickers. First, adhesive stickers should
be placed at least 3/4 inch away from the edge of the helmet. This prevents
the possibility of the sticker's acting as a conductor between the outside
and inside of the shell if it were to wrap around the brim. Second, the
area of the helmet covered by stickers should be kept to a practical minimum
to permit regular inspection of the helmet shell for signs of damage.
Hard Hats Worn
Backward
There is considerable confusion and misinterpretation about whether OSHA
allows hard hats to be worn backward. An OSHA Standard Interpretation
and Compliance Letter dated July 22, 1992, states, "Because ANSI only
tests and certifies hard hats to be worn with the bill foreword (sic),
hard hats worn with the bill to the rear would not be considered reliable
protection and would not meet the requirements of 29 CFR 1926.100 (a)
and (b) unless the hard hat manufacturer certifies that this practice
meets the ANSI requirements."
Prior to allowing
employees to wear their hats backward, always get written verification
from the hard hat manufacturer on whether your hard hat model has been
tested and found to be compliant to the requirements of the American National
Standards Institute standard when worn with the bill turned to the rear.
The manufacturer may specify that proper performance requires the suspension
to be reversed in the helmet, so that the headband is oriented normally
to the wearer's head (i.e., with the brow pad against the forehead and
the extended nape strap at the base of the skull). In this manner, only
the shell of the helmet is positioned backward on the head.
Conclusion
If you are ever in doubt about the use or maintenance of your hard hat,
contact the manufacturer directly for instructions and recommendations.
The cost of maintaining and replacing your hard hat is well worth the
benefits.
If the hard hat you
put on every day is 10 years old and brittle from age, yet comfortable
and familiar, do yourself and your family a favor by retiring it. Set
it on your shelf as a keepsake and replace it with a hard hat that can
provide the intended protection.
Kristin Bacon is
Industrial Safety Product Manager for Bullard (www.bullard.com)
in Cynthiana, Ky., an ISO 9001-certified manufacturer of personal protective
equipment and systems worldwide. Bacon's product responsibilities include
head protection, face protection, and body temperature management. The company
celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding in 1998.
This paper
appears in the eLCOSH website with the permission of the author and/or
copyright holder and may not be reproduced without their consent. eLCOSH
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Stevens Publishing
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