UPGRADE TO HEAD PROTECTION WITH A RATCHET HEADBAND

Many protective caps, perhaps the majority of protective caps, being used today contain a ratchet headband. Some just like the convenience of being able to dial the right size by simply turning a ratchet knob. But there was much more to the intended use and application of ratchet headbands when Fibre-Metal (now a brand of Honeywell Safety) introduced the product to the trade years ago.

The original intended application was to solve a problem of aerial workers, especially welders, PPE falling off of their heads because of high winds and extreme working positions. The problem was exacerbated when those workers had to wear head protection combined with a welding helmet or faceshield. A welding helmet adds about a pound of weight to the front of a hard hat. Nodding the helmet down into the work position often pulled the protective cap right off of the wearers head and sent both items falling to the ground many feet below. When the helmet was up in the up rest position, high winds flipped it backwards again tossing the PPE to the ground. Tab style hard hat headbands simply did not provide enough staying power to keep the helmet/cap on the wearers head.

Aerial construction workers and welders often have to work in extreme positions, sometimes almost completely upside down. (See actual job site picture above). Again, tab style headbands would not stay on and workers had to hold their caps on with one hand while trying to work with the other. That is extremely dangerous in aerial work. The ratchet headband solved all of that. The original design that Fibre-Metal introduced not only provided a ratchet adjustment, it was also offset to grip well down the back of the head. It stabilized, balanced, and secured whatever PPE was needed so that workers could work with both hands free.

As a worker moves from one work position to another he simply grasps the over sized adjustment knob, without having to remove his gloves, and dials exactly the amount of tension required to hold his PPE securely in place. Because his ratchet headband is the same design and quality as the renowned Fibre-Metal welding helmet headgear, he doesn't have to worry about the ratchet gears stripping, or the headband cracking like lesser brands.

PPE falling from heights is a real hazard to people working below. So the ratchet headband also reduces that risk. Workers falling from heights is a leading cause of injury and death. It is widely believed that lives could be saved and injuries lessened if the falling workers head protection stayed on his head during the fall. A properly adjusted ratchet headband can help in that regard.

Another intended application for the ratchet headband in protective caps was for high activity workers. Some jobs require repeat bending over, moving around, climbing on, in and under things. Prior to the ratchet band, many times a high activity workers hard hat would fall off and he wouldn't stop to put it back on until he was done with what he was doing. That put the worker at high risk of a severe head injury. After the ratchet headband was introduced, all a high activity worker has to do is reach back and tighten up without having to stop what he is doing. That helps reduce injuries and increase productivity.

Like all other PPE, there are differences in design, material and workmanship among different brands of protective cap ratchet headbands. Several of the top selling protective cap manufacturers don't produce their own welding helmets or faceshields, they have them made for them, so they do not manufacture their own ratchet headbands. PPE works best when all component parts are made by the same manufacturer to operate as a "system". Compiling various component parts from different sources just doesn't work with the same precision. Make sure you only consider a head protection system when you look at caps with ratchet headbands.

The natural progression for Fibre-Metal was to solve another problem for workers by modifying their ratchet headband to eliminate the need to have to remove, reverse and reinstall a hard hat suspension when a welding helmet or faceshield had to be mounted. The problem was solved by Fibre-Metal's patented SWINGSTRAP which functions as a regular ratchet headband during normal wear, and can be pivoted to the rear, without reversing the caps suspension, when a welding helmet or faceshield needs to be mounted and the cap has to be worn in the peak to the rear position.

The benefits of using the SWINGSTRAP version of the ratchet headband are the same as the regular ratchet headband, but there was an unintended, but very positive consequence that resulted in a whole new level of application. Workers soon discovered that the Fibre-Metal brand protective hats and caps with SWINGSTRAP also included the unique Fibre-Metal 360 degree, padded headband. So when they had to ratchet down the headgear, instead of having a hard, plastic headband pulled tighter on their head, they had a soft, padded headband pulled tighter on their heads for an extraordinary level of comfort.

Now workers who don't use combinations, and have no real need to reverse their head protection, buy SWINGSTRAP caps for the high level of comfort relative to their need for a ratchet headband. If you haven't ried it, it is something you should look into. Whether you work up high, or have a high activity level or not, a Fibre-Metal SWINGSTRAP hat or cap is the most sophisticated, comfortable, head protection system on the market.

As we always say, if you can find something better, by all means use it. But if not, you can upgrade your head protection program with these high quality, unique products.