The International Safety Equipment Association and J. J. Keller & Associates Inc. recently partnered to conduct a study to better understand practices and challenges related to head protection, according to Safety+Health magazine.
The study surveyed professionals from various industries, including construction, manufacturing and transportation. Ninety percent of respondents said they engage in making decisions related to personal protective equipment.
The results revealed choosing head protection can be “confusing and complicated” because of the numerous options available and difficulty understanding the key differences among those options.
Key findings from the study included the following.
- Terminology regarding head protection is unclear. There is significant confusion and oversimplification in the differences and similarities between hard hats and helmets.
- Safety managers face complicated decisions, as well as the challenges of getting employees to consistently wear head protection and finding head protection that is comfortable for all workers.
- Workers need to better care for and maintain head protection. Only 54% of safety managers said they educate workers regarding how to maintain their head protection.
- Standards organizations, manufacturers and other experts can offer safety managers guidance and education to address how head protection is evolving.
To learn more about choosing proper head protection, check out Professional Roofing’s July article, “Hard hats or helmets?”
