If an employee suffers a head injury due to negligence in the workplace, it can result in costly compensation claims and increased insurance premiums for employers. A company's reputation can also be at stake in the event of workplace injuries.
There are two important types of head protection in the industrial and construction sectors: safety helmets and bump caps. The type of head protection to be used depends on the risks present in the workplace.
There are two common causes of head injuries. The first is slipping, tripping, or falling. The second cause is being struck by a falling or moving object.
Employees who work in heavy industry and construction are generally assumed to have the greatest risk of suffering a head injury in the workplace. However, people in all industries are prone to slipping, tripping, or falling, which can result in a head injury. Employees who work at heights are at the greatest risk of suffering a head injury in a fall accident. The most common causes of accidents in work at heights are work on the roof, where employees can fall through or off the roof when fall protection is not used as it should be.
If you are struck by a moving or falling object at work, it can lead to serious and lifelong injuries.
Safety helmets should always be used in environments where there is a risk of:
When working in cold conditions, a helmet that also provides room for a helmet hood should be used.
A bump cap should always be used in environments where there is a risk of:
For an industrial helmet, there is no general answer or information in the standard about when a helmet should be replaced. This is because helmets are used and stored in varying environments. However, the helmets are laboratory tested in an environment equivalent to three years in Scandinavian climate. After the test, the helmets showed largely unchanged properties. This time can be reduced if the helmet has been exposed to chemicals or prolonged sunlight.
The helmet should be immediately replaced if it has been exposed to:
It has been difficult to give a general answer about the lifespan of a helmet regarding UV radiation because the amount of radiation is determined by how much time is spent outdoors and how strong the radiation is.
In the European standard EN 397, helmets can be tested in different classes, for example:
Helmets can, among other things, also be tested and approved for:
A safety helmet with MIPS technology is specially developed to provide the head with extra protection against harmful rotational movements. Between the head and the outer shell of the Zekler Zone MIPS protective helmet, there is a patented low-friction layer from MIPS. In addition to a world-class safety system, the protective helmet is also equipped with 12 ventilation holes and smart click fasteners for headlamps, hearing protection, visors, visor shields, and neck protection.
