Hard Hats: Crucial PPE for Preventing Injuries — INDUSTRY FEATURE

Hard Hats are a critical part of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in any workzone. Head injuries account for about 10 percent of injuries in the construction and infrastructure support industries. To improve work safety, OSHA requires that anyone at an active jobsite wears a hard hat that meets the ANSI Z89.1 standard.

Hard hats should be used when falling object hazards may result from activities with proximity to:
- persons or operations where accidental dropping or loss of material, tools, equipment or other articles could lead to a head injury;
- a barricaded or posted demolition or construction area where head hazards exist;
- objects stored on shelves, platforms, etc. that may fall and cause head injury; or
- overhead exposed energized conductors nearby.

There are different Types and Classes of Hard Hats for different situations:
- Type 1: protects the top of the head. This hard hat is more commonly used in the U.S.
- Type 2: protects the top as well as the sides of the head. This type is more common in Europe.

Class G (General) is rated for 2,200 volts.
Class E (Electrical) is rated for 20,000 volts.
Class C (Conductive) no electrical hazard protection.

Traffic Management, Inc. (TMI) is Serious About Safety, from head to toe. We require our traffic controllers/flaggers (or any employee) on a job site to wear an ANSI/ISEA Z89.1 hard hat -- Type 1, Class E category.