The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that head injuries account for 9% of all injuries to laborers.

That’s roughly 252,000 injuries just in the United States alone. Wearing hard hats can greatly reduce your chance of head injury.

This edition of our safety training series is focused on hard hat safety.

Each hard hat is specified by both a Type and Class.

The types are:

• ANSI Type I / CSA Type 1 hard hats meet stringent vertical impact and penetration requirements.
• ANSI Type II / CSA Type 2 hard hats meet both vertical and lateral impact and penetration requirements and have a foam inner liner of expanded polystyrene (EPS).

The classes are:

• Class E or electrical class provides dielectric protection up to 20,000 volts
• Class G or general class provides dielectric protection up to 2,200 volts
• Class C or conductive class, provides no dielectric protection

Make sure to inspect hard hats daily to make sure they are in good shape, and to match the hard hat with the hard job you’re working.

If you identify any of the following defects, remove the hard hat from service:

• Cracking
• Tearing
• Fraying
• Loss of surface gloss
• Chalking
• And flaking

Use your HEAD and wear a hard hat when required in the workplace. It might just save your life.

We hope you gained a new safety training skill. Until next time, stay positive and stay safe.