Page 85 - OHS, July/August 2022

The traditional hard hat was not engineered to protect against injuries from slips, trips and falls.
are key pieces of conventional fall protection when workers are working six feet or more above a lower level. This type of PPE helps prevent the fall from happening. However, when a worker slips, trips or falls or is smacked by a dropped object on his or her head, the proper type of head protection is needed.
Innovations in Head Protection
For over a century, hard hats reigned supreme as the go-to PPE for protection against head injuries. However, it is somewhat ironic that the iconic hard hat was not designed to protect from slips, trips and falls, which are how most head injuries occur, leading “to over half of fatal work-related TBIs,” according to a 2016 NIOSH study.
MSA — THE SAFETY COMPANY
ThThe traditional hard hat, while beloved by construction workers far and wide, was designed to defend against dropped objects and flflying debris, providing protection primarily at the top of the head. ThThe traditional hard hat was not engineered to protect against the injuries from slips, trips and falls, which are often angled impacts that affect the top, back and side of the head.
If a worker wearing a hard hat falls from a roof, ladder or scaffold, the hard hat may not protect him or her, especially if it falls off the worker’s head during the fall. Most hard hats don’t have built-in chin straps, which are necessary to keep the hard hat where it belongs—on the worker’s head. Plus, traditional hard hats don’t provide lateral or back-of-the-head protection, which is very important should an employee fall or trip.
Despite the cultural significance and long-term use of the hard hat, the safety industry is becoming more aware of the hard hat’s limitations. Is there a silver lining to these limitations? Yes. The hard hat’s limitations have become a springboard to innovation, giving rise to the safety helmet, which has its roots in the climbing and cycling helmets used in sports.
Hard Hats Versus Safety Helmets
Both hard hats and safety helmets provide protection against head injuries, but the engineering, advanced design and the features of the safety helmet offer more protection, especially where slips, trips and falls are concerned.
CORPORATE PROFILE
MSA — The Safety Company
https://us.msasafety.com
Contact Information
Info.us@msasafety.com Tel: 800-672-2222
Established in 1914, MSA Safety Incorporated is the global leader
in the development, manufacture and supply of safety products
that protect people and facility infrastructures. MSA’s core products include self-contained breathing apparatus, fixed gas and flame detection systems, portable gas detection instruments, industrial head protection products, firefighter helmets and protective apparel, and fall protection devices. The company is headquartered north of Pittsburgh in Cranberry Township, PA, and has manufacturing operations in the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America.
Circle 38 on card.
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