HEAD PROTECTION DESIGN IS CRITICAL

There are between 150,000 and 200,000 lost time head injuries and numerous fatalities resulting from blows to the head each year. Because of the damage those injuries do, the cost is enormous in terms of both money and human suffering. Yet we find so little is known about head protection by buying decision makers and influencers.

Many head protection purchases are straight rebuys "that is what we've always used", or are the cheapest hard hat available with an ANSI label. That is based on the mistaken assumption that all hard hats with an ANSI label are alike, perform the same, and provide the same value. Companies willingly spend $200 for a pair of safety boots but balk at paying $20 for a good hard hat. Foot injuries are serious and good foot protection should be provided, but they pale in comparison to the devastation of a serious head injury.

The OSHA PPE Buying Decision Process calls for a buying decision maker to determine what type of PPE is required for the hazards of a job and then to evaluate as many brands and styles of that type of equipment as possible before selecting the most appropriate one. There are approximately eight major manufacturers of hard hats in the USA today. If you place each of their offerings side by side, a simple visual inspection will show you that they are not all alike. In fact, no two of them even look the same.

Yes, they all consist of a hard outer shell, a suspension, and some sort of headband, but the designs of those components and especially the way they work together to perform the functions of head protection are completely different. Let's begin with the design of the shell. Over the years, head protection studies have determined that a smooth crown, with no ribs, ridges or protrusions, and no openings in the shell (like mounting slots) is the optimum design for allowing the various components to work together to manage impact force.

Why a smooth crown with no openings? The physics of impact force attenuation requires a hard hat to go through sequential steps:

1. On impact, the shell flexes absorbing some force
2. The impacting object is deflected away
3. Impact energy is passed to the suspension through load bearing "points"
4. The Impact Energy Control System (suspension) stretches to attenuate force

If anything interferes with that sequence, the whole system breaks down and protection is compromised. Ribs, ridges and protrusions present the risk of an impacting object being caught and trapped in them. If that happens, the shell cannot flex and deflect the object away which causes all of the force of the impact to be concentrated in that one area of the hard hat. That can overload the suspension at that point which will cause it to breakdown.

So why then do most brands of protective caps on the market contain ribs, ridges and protrusions in their designs? The ANSI standard requires a crown impact test. If a brands Impact Energy Control System (suspension) is not adequate, the shell has to be "beefed up" with reinforcing ribs or thickened with ridges in order to pass. Designing a high performance Impact Energy Control System is technically challenging. It is much easier and less expensive to just beef up the shell. If a suppliers mission is to produce a hard hat as cheaply as possible, to sell it for the lowest price, that is the design they choose.

Those suppliers who's mission is to design a protective cap up to a performance standard instead of down to a price have embraced the optimum smooth crown design. Because there are smooth crown brands and models on the market, why take the risk, no matter how small it may or may not be, of buying models with ribs, ridges and protrusions when you don't have to? Isn't risk reduction what PPE is really all about?

The Fibre-Metal Products Company conceived, developed, perfected and introduced the smooth crown protective cap design almost 50 years ago. The brand is now produced by Honeywell Safety Products. In recent years, other brands have copied the Fibre-Metal shell design but again, when you put the two or three smooth crown brands side by side, you will see major differences in the total products and how they perform.

You cannot look at shell design without considering the Impact Energy Control System (suspension) that must work with it. The same studies that recommended a smooth crown design, also determined that an optimum Impact Energy Control System should have as many load bearing "contact points" as possible. The reason is because during normal wear, the "load" the contact points must bear is the weight of the cap. Multiple points divide the weight into smaller increments and spread it over the widest possible surface of the head for comfort. On impact, the "load" is the impact force transmitted from the shell to the Impact Energy Control System through the contact points. Again, multiple points divide the impact force into the smallest possible increments and spread it over the widest possible head area for maximum attenuation.

The original Fibre-Metal design, the design that set the standard for quality head protection and is still being produced today, is the only design that combines the optimum shell design with the optimum Impact Energy Control System design. Their 8 point, technologically advanced system contains more contact points than any other brand. Suppliers that copied the smooth crown design were not able to copy the 8 point Impact Energy Control design. So who knows how their 4 or 6 point Impact Energy Control Systems will hold up without the reinforcing ribs in their shells.? Again, all brands of protective caps on the market pass the ANSI Standards, but why incur the risks of less than an optimum design, that could fail in the real world, if you don't have to?

Often over looked are the ergonomic considerations involved with head protection. First, the cap should have a low center of gravity for balance and stability. Having the maximum number of suspension points will also help in this regard. The headband should have small increment size adjustments; should be able to be raised, lowered, and angled for individual fit and feel. It should be replaceable for sanitation and comfort purposes.

A final consideration is the condition of the head protection when it is shipped. Quality protective cap suppliers ship their products to you fully assembled, ready to wear. Suppliers in the price market take a short cut by just dropping the suspension into the box for the wearer to install. On the surface, that may not seem like much of an issue. But beneath the surface, it is a very risky practice. In order for the Impact Energy Control sequence to function, the suspension buttons or tabs must be firmly and securely seated in their pockets in the cap. That is not as simple as it looks.

If a suspension contact point button or tab is not fully engaged, the Impact Energy Control System could fail on impact. Quality head protection producers use skilled, well trained workers to install the suspensions correctly. Their quality control inspections provide a double check. Are your workers trained and skilled in assembling head protection? Does anyone double check to make sure they do it right? If not, once again, you are taking an unnecessary risk that you don't have to take.

When you are in the market for head protection, follow the OSHA recommended buying process procedure and do your due diligence to make sure you know what is available, what the differences are among what is available and what the value of those differences are. Compare all brands and models to the optimum designs and performance. Ask a lot of questions. Make sure you buy the best product for your application with the minimum risks.