Page 93 - OHS, September 2022

the higher up-front cost of safety helmets to be offset.
According to the 2020 Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index, “falls to a lower level” cost the construction industry $2.5 billion dollars in workers compensation claims each year.3 “Falls on the same level” cost the industry $1.36 billion dollars each year. The same report also finds that falls—to a lower level or on the same level—account for nearly 40 percent of total workers compensation costs in the construction industry each year. These are significant numbers, but they are ones that can be reduced easily by increasing on-the-job protection against falls for workers
through the adoption of safety helmets.
In addition to helping reduce workers compensation costs, the
use of safety helmets in construction can lead to a reduction in lost labor and productivity, which presents another opportunity for financial savings for employers, that can help offset the up- front cost of purchasing pricey safety helmets.
Safety helmets have been gaining significant traction in recent years, and their popularity is expected to grow. This is largely due to the superior protection offered by this helmet style, as compared to traditional hard hats, but can also be attributed to an overall growth in the construction and infrastructure industries, which is also expected to continue. In 2021, the U.S. government passed a $1 trillion infrastructure spending bill, which will lead to significant federal spending on new infrastructure projects. The workers on these projects will need proper protection, and it’s
reasonable to expect that many will opt for the added protection of the safety helmet.
By making a relatively simple switch to safety helmets, construction and industrial employers can help protect their employees better while on the job site, while simultaneously reducing their workers compensation costs and hours of labor lost. The benefits of safety helmets are many—to both employee and employer—and their downsides, if any, are relatively minimal. The hope of many in the safety industry is that further adoption of safety helmets as standard jobsite protection will contribute to a decrease in the number of workers injured or killed on the job. Our workers deserve the best protection available and, in many situations, the safety helmet is just that.
Matt King is the Global Product Portfolio Manager for Head & Face Protection at Bullard.
REFERENCES
1. https://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2022/04/13/falls- campaign-2022/
2. https://www.bullard.com/cen10
3. https://business.libertymutual.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/ WSI_1002.pdf
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