Health and Safety Executive

Health and Safety Executive

Hard Hats on

Construction Sites

Use your head and wear a hard hat

The facts

• Even on a well run site head injuries can still happen so hard hats should be worn

• A lot of workers were killed or received serious head injuries before the use of hard hats on construction sites

• Wearing a hard hat may prevent or lessen an injury to your head

• There is no change in the requirement to provide and wear hard hats on a construction site

The Law – Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Regulations 1992

• From 6 April 2013, the PPE Regulations 1992 apply to the provision and use of hard hats on construction sites

• Employers must provide hard hats to employees and,

• Ensure hard hats are worn when there is a risk of head injury

• Self-employed should provide their own hard hats and ensure they wear them.

Provide hard hats to your workers (and visitors to your site)

Hard Hats should:

• Be in good condition. If it’s damaged, throw it away

• Fit the person wearing it and be worn properly

• Not stop the wearing of hearing protectors as well (when needed)

• Only be obtained from a reputable supplier – there are fake hard hats on the market

Ensuring head protection is worn

• Make the wearing of hard hats a site rule

• Display safety signs in areas where there is a risk of head injury

• Always wear your hard hat to set an example

• Check others are wearing theirs

Hard hats must be worn

Taking care of your hard hat

For example:

• Objects fall onto it

• It strikes against a fixed object

• It receives a severe impact

• Deep scratches occur

• It is sprayed with chemicals or solvent based paint

Inspect a hard hat when adjusting and before each use

The shell of a hard hat can be damaged or weakened if not looked after.

Bad Practice

Potential causes of head injuries

There is nearly always a risk of a head injury on a construction site.

For example:

• Objects falling or being thrown from height

• An unprotected end of a scaffold pole

• Projections not being capped e.g. studs

• Insufficient headroom on a scaffold

Wear your hard hat to prevent or lessen an injury to your head

Wearing a hard hat can save a life

A worker was injured when a piece of metal (see photograph 1) fell from height during demolition work. The metal bounced off the worker’s hard hat (see photograph 2) and broke his shoulder/collar bone in several places.  He could easily have been killed if he hadn’t been wearing his hard hat.

A worker used his head and wore his hard hat

Photograph 1 Photograph 2

What if health and safety is ignored?

Suffered severe brain and spinal injuries after a 14ft fixed box pillar he was removing fell on his head.

He now has difficulty speaking and moving, is unable to work and requires full-time care due to the severity of his head injuries. The incident could very well have led to his death.

A worker who was not wearing a hard hat:

And finally…….

Keep it safe. Wear your hard hat

Almost all construction work involves a risk of head injury.