As a result, very few Level II protective caps are being used in American industry. In Canada, CSA requires lateral impact protection but even there, compliance is not universal. Why wouldn't conscientious safety officials equip their workforce with head protection that extends protection and reduces risk? First, they aren't required to, second, Level II caps are bigger, a little heavier, and more expensive. And the need has not been proven to the satisfaction of many USA safety officials and PPE buying decision makers.
In the early nineties NIOSH and BLS research showed that among workers suffering head injuries, only 9% were struck on the top of the head while 91% were struck in the front, back or sides of the head. They concluded that 90% of head injuries could be eliminated or lessened in severity if head protection could be improved to include lateral impact protection. If that was true, the savings would approach $3.8 billion dollars.
That would seem like a no brainer for requiring lateral impact protection. But because the data included workers who were not wearing any head protection at all, no one could say for sure if their Level I protective cap would have lessened or prevented their injuries from the lateral blows to their heads even though they were not designed nor tested for that degree of protection. Therefore, OSHA made lateral impact protection optional based on need.
But they didn't specify or clarify "need". They issued their standard "analyze your hazards and if you have high impact falling or flying (later modified to "moving") objects you may need lateral impact protection" advisory. Some hazards are obvious, others are not. If a wrench falls from above, is it always going to strike a worker below squarely in the center of the crown of his protective cap? What if he ducks? Or looks up? Or turns his head? No one can say for sure. So one point of view is that all falling or moving objects present lateral impact hazards. And what about swinging objects and thrown objects and exploding objects?
On the other hand, many safety officials take a very pragmatic view and use their empirical data to show that they have no history of lateral impact injuries, therefore their Level I head protection is adequate and appropriate for their worksite. But maybe it is time to rethink head protection from a risk management standpoint. The number of Canadian companies working in the USA on pipeline and other jobs has increased the demand for Level II caps because they must comply with CSA Standards even while working here. As they work side-by-side with their American counterparts, the interest in lateral impact protection is growing.
Most brands of Level II Lateral Impact head protection provide an extra margin of protection over Level I caps. It would be good risk management to use them whether or not you have clearly defined lateral impact hazards. But like everything else, there are trade offs. Most Level II caps have bigger shells, are a little heavier, and require a greater initial investment than Level I caps. One large construction company Safety Official said "if they were cost effective, I would use them". With lost time injuries approaching $50,000 each, if a Level II cap prevented or lessened the severity of just one head injury, it would return the incremental investment many times over.
Yes, the shells are slightly bigger and the designs are different but so were Level I caps when workers transitioned from paper and cloth caps. Most complaints about weight are usually actually about fit. A well designed Level II cap, with a good center of gravity, maximum weight distribution, and multiple adjustments for individual fit and feel will offset any complaints about weight. On the other hand, there are a lot of poorly designed, extremely heavy models on the market that contribute to the perception that all Level II caps are uncomfortable.
Just as with Level I head protection, the design and technology used to provide protection is critical to performance and acceptance. Early on, when lateral protection became an issue, those suppliers who sell on price, simply molded a bigger shell and filled it with foam rubber until it passed the standard. Those brands are not only very heavy, they are so hot, resulting from a lack of air circulation, workers refuse to wear them. But there are alternative designs. The most progressive and technically superior design is the "SUPEREIGHT SENSOR" Fibre-Metal brand from Honeywell Safety Products.
This Level II cap begins with the unique Fibre-Metal brand smooth crown design. Instead of using hot, heavy foam, model SE-2 SENSOR adds a patented attenuator band to the standard Fibre-Metal Eight Point Impact Energy Control System to provide impact protection around the periphery of the cap. The cap is called "SENSOR" because on impact, it actually senses where it was struck and either activates the crown impact energy control system, the attenuator lateral impact energy control system, or both. To manage and control lateral impact, the attenuator band corrugations compress to absorb and dissipate the force of the blow. It is similar to the crumble zones used in many cars today.
Because no foam is required, air circulates freely within the shell and as air passes over the damp headband, it actually provides a cooling effect. The headband can be adjusted multiple ways to provide just the right fit and feel to eliminate most workers complaints.
Whether you consider the foam filled models to minimize the purchase price or invest in the technologically advanced Fibre-Metal brand, Level II protective caps deserve another look and should be in your head protection discussions whether you have clearly defined lateral impact hazards or as a head protection upgrade and risk management tool.
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