Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Hard Hats As A Safety Precaution

By Debra Cooley


In every place of work especially when doing dangerous jobs, it is very important to have some kind of precautions like wearing hard hats. This type of helmet are commonly used to avoid you from getting injured because of electric shocks, falling objects, bumping on objects and from debris. In any hazardous surrounding, the main concern is always about the safety of the lives of the employees.

Working in construction is one of the most dangerous job, which requires a high level of safety measures. If anything is dropped, it can be very lethal the higher its drop point is and impacts resulting in head wounds are considered the most lethal of all. This can be very serious problem that is why employers require hats to be worn at all times.

They can protect the most delicate parts of your body such as the eyes, ears, nose, mouth and your brain. A single injury can handicap you for the rest of your life. Protective equipment like eyeglasses or goggles, protective clothing, and steel toe boots are generally used along with the helmet to give a whole body protection.

This thing can resist penetration by objects especially sharp one and absorb the shock of the blow. Most are also made to be resistant to water and electricity, does not burn easily and should also provide proper ventilation to the wearer. These used to be made of metal and fiberglass, but the modern ones are made of very firm and durable plastic.

They are divided into three classes in the industry. The class A types are commonly used among all since it offers good impact absorption though it has limited voltage protection. They are generally used in constructing buildings, mining, shipbuilding, manufacturing and lumbering. On one hand, class B types are an excellent choice jobs that are involved with electricity.

These are great choice if you want to be more protected against burns or high voltage shocks aside from falling objects. Class C types, on another hand, were made for the comfort of the wearer and are more light in weight, yet they offer limited protection. Although it can prevent you from getting injured from bumping stationary objects, it cannot effectively protect the employee against electric shocks and falling materials.

They can be fitted with many other accessories needed for the job such as insulation pads, mirrors, flashlight or headlamps, and visors. Employers may also require them to have chinstraps and sweatbands to keep the helmet from falling off, which may become a hazard to the people working below. Those who work in road maintenance have florescent strips or reflective materials on their hats to be safer when working on the road.

With correct inspection and care, they can be employed for five years before it should be replaced. They also come in different colors to signify the roles on the job site. For example, white often worn by supervisors or engineers, blue for technical advisers and green is commonly worn by safety inspectors.

Yellow are usually worn by the workmen and orange or pink are worn by new employees and visitors. Workers should clean their hard hats periodically so that it can be used for a long time. Other than that, they should always wear it on site so that they will be protected at all times.




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