According to a report from the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, construction workers have the highest rate of brain injuries among U.S. workers – both fatal and nonfatal. Traumatic brain injuries represented 25% of all construction fatalities and 24% of all occupational traumatic brain injury fatalities. The report cited the leading causes of traumatic brain injuries for construction workers to be falls from roofs, ladders and scaffolds.1

THE RISING USE OF SAFETY HELMETS AMONG CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES

With studies reporting such staggering statistics as these, it’s no surprise that head protection has become a popular topic in discussions surrounding construction worker safety. It also may explain why more and more construction companies have been exploring the use of safety helmets, rather than traditional hard hats, when assessing their head protection needs. This trend can be attributed to the perception that all safety helmets provide the same enhanced level of head protection by protecting workers from both top-of-head and side impact hazards. This misconception assumes that safety helmets possessing a foam liner, a common feature among safety helmets, will protect to the equivalent of a Type II style, which is not true. The foam liner is not what escalates a safety helmet from providing Type I to Type II protection. Specific testing is required in order to receive Type II status, which is what renders the helmet effective in protecting against side impact. The first step in unveiling any protection misconceptions is understanding the difference between Type I and Type II hard hats or safety helmets.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TYPE I AND TYPE II PROTECTION

The main difference between Type I and Type II hard hats and safety helmets is the type of impact that they protect against:

- Type I styles are designed to reduce the force of impact located at the top of the head only

- Type II styles are designed to reduce the force of impact at both the top and the sides of the head

This element is straightforward. However, an additional component that distinguishes Type I styles from Type II styles is that Type II styles are subjected to more testing. Both Type I and Type II hard hats are subject to penetration testing, but:

- Type I styles are only tested at a single position, compared to Type II styles, which are also subjected to an off-center penetration test

- Type II styles must also go through an Impact Energy Attenuation test

The Impact Energy Attenuation test is different than the force impact test because this test has the protector falling to strike an object, instead of force impact tests, which have an object striking the protector. This is intended to represent a real-world situation where a worker may strike an object during a slip or fall. This scenario aligns with what the report we referenced at the beginning of this article attributed most traumatic brain injuries to – construction workers falling or slipping from roofs, ladders and scaffolds.

There’s one final difference in the testing that Type II styles are subject to in comparison to Type I styles – this one relates to the chin strap. If a Type II hat is provided with a chin strap, there’s an additional testing procedure for the retention and elongation of the chin strap. On Type I hats, there is no chin strap retention test that’s required to meet the ANSI Z89.1 standard.

THE ROLE WORK ENVIRONMENT PLAYS

When identifying which type of head protection fits your needs – a Type I or Type II style – evaluating your work environment and assessing the hazards is critical. Your work environment plays a crucial role because you may not require the additional protection that comes with a Type II style. Here are a few questions you can ask to determine the right level of protection for your application:

- Will the workers consistently be working at heights?

- Do the conditions or situations present a concern for enduring impact on the sides of the head?

- Is there a risk of a worker’s head striking an object, instead of just an object striking the hat only at the top of the shell?

Due to the varying hazards when working at heights, a safety helmet may be the best fit for you if it is tested to ANSI Z89.1 Type II standards. That is the only way to guarantee you are receiving an increased level of protection from falls or slips. While there are other standards that are enforced or adopted in markets across the world, it is important to remember that in the United States, OSHA has only adopted the ANSI Z89.1 standard for head protection. Compliance enforcement and judgment of whether the level of protection is adequate is only based on compliance with ANSI Z89.1, not any other standard in any other market worldwide.

In summary, it is important to recognize the differences between the testing requirements of Type I and Type II styles. Additional features, such as a foam liner or chin strap, does not make a Type I hard hat offer equivalent protection to a Type II. Assessment of the potential workplace hazards is also crucial to determining which product will provide the best protection for the work environment.

DISCOVER THE BEST TYPE OF HEAD PROTECTION FOR YOUR APPLICATION

Since there are so many different industries and applications where head protection is required, there are multiple categories and styles of head protection to consider. Evaluating the work environment and assessing the hazards is a critical first step.

PIP® offers an extensive line of Type I and Type II hard hats and safety helmets that protect workers from falling objects in multiple industries, from heavy-duty mining to residential construction. Our Dynamic® line of head protection is also produced in North America using state-of-the-art robotic manufacturing.