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When it comes to personal protective equipment ( PPE ), hard hats are sometimes seen as a box ticking exercise . However , it is critical to consider workers ’ unique role demands to provide them with appropriate PPE . Effectively reviewing what additional helmet enhancements would help to protect the workers and improve their productivity could increase your PPE compliance on a day-to-day basis .
There are numerous hard hat variances and configurations , and selecting the appropriate helmet is just the beginning . There is also a wide range of accessories and branding options available , allowing a hard hat to be adapted to enhance functionality for a range of different scenarios .
In this article , we suggest a three-step process in selecting , accessorising , and branding an appropriate hard hat for your specific requirements .
Step 1 : Choosing the appropriate helmet
Firstly , consider whether it is important that your safety helmet is CE marked , and meets the standards required for your specific working environments .
Primarily , there are two key industry standards to be aware of :
■ # 1 - EN 397 : industrial safety helmets EN 397 is concerned with adequately protecting against falling objects . To achieve this certification , key performance requirements include appropriate shock absorption , penetration resistance , flame resistance and chin strap anchorage .
■ # 2 - EN 50365 : electrically insulated helmets EN 50365 is concerned with ensuring protection against electric shocks and dangerous electric currents . This is typically an additional standard required for safety helmets when working on low voltage live electrical installations up to 1000V A . C . Therefore , helmets in this bracket need to comply with both EN 397 and EN 50365 .
Step 2 : Appropriate accessories you might consider
Once you have considered your working environment , you can begin to optimise your PPE by applying accessories you deem appropriate .
Hard hats should not hinder workers but help them focus on the job at hand . To achieve this ,
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