FEATURE PPE


KEEP IT UNDER YOUR HAT A


forward-thinking industry survey has revealed a lack of comfort as the main


obstacle putting workers off wearing their safety helmets more regularly, and, somewhat worryingly, almost half of those surveyed said that they never or rarely wear a hard hat. Run by MSA Safety in conjunction with Skill


Builder (a resource for the building industry promoting knowledge, news, and expertise), the extensive survey explored what puts workers off wearing safety helmets and what people consider to be the most important features of hard hat design. The survey, which focused on the wearing of hard


hats in general rather than any individual brand, received hundreds of responses from workers in the UK, including carpenters, builders, electricians, roofers, civil engineers, and tree surgeons – working on projects covering residential housing, infrastructure, heavy construction, and specialised industrial (amongst others).


time; 10 per cent said that they wear them often. Roger Bisby, well known and respected


throughout the UK building and construction industry for his expertise and work on his Skill Builder channel, comments: “I’ve been in the building trade for a long time and heard these reasons for not wearing a hard hat – comfort, poor fit etc. – many, many times. Yes, all workers have a responsibility to look after themselves, but hard hat manufacturers also owe it to workers to provide a hard hat that they’ll be happy to wear for up to eight hours a day, five days a week. It’s heartening to see MSA not only manufacture more functional, comfortable hard hats, but encouraging others to follow suit.” Mackenzie Peters, MSA Safety’s


global product manager, HEFH, continues: “To a large extent, unfortunately, these figures aren’t surprising. It’s a sad fact that many workers are not wearing essential hard hats because they’re uncomfortable, bulky and ill-fitting. All of which hinders a worker’s ability to do their job properly and contributes to them spending more time worrying about their hard hat than the job at hand, which is dangerous in its own right. “It’s our responsibility, as an industry, to


buck this trend. Yes, of course, hard hats need to be safe, but the safest hard hat is one a worker will actually want to wear. That’s why comfort and a good fit should be integral to any quality hard hat.” Anecdotal feedback from respondents was


When asked what puts them off wearing a hard


hat, 26 per cent of respondents cited comfort as the main reason, while 18 per cent went as far as to say that hard hats stopped them from doing their job properly. 10 per cent said that hard hats made them feel too hot, and six per cent said they felt hard hats generally did not fit properly. It is no surprise, therefore, that the number of


workers that do not ever (19 per cent) or rarely (27 per cent) wear hard hats was high. Only 17 per cent said that they wear hard hats most of the


insightful and broadly backed up the statistics outlined above. A selection of some of the feedback includes: “People need a hat to be proud of”; “They could be made to be more fitting, more comfortable, lighter, better ventilated”; “They could be more stylish!”; and “Better fitting so that they don’t fall off your head when bending over or looking up”. Mackenzie addresses this feedback:


People need a hat to be


proud of They could be more stylish!


“Providing workers with helmets they can be proud of is so important. When management provides its workforce with high quality, comfortable hard hats with a low-profile, modern design it represents a certain level of investment into them and their wellbeing. Customising hard hats with company logos can also help to foster a sense of pride and togetherness. And crucially, the better the hard hat is and the prouder a worker is to wear it, the more likely they are to not only wear it in the first place, but to also take good care of it. “Heads come in all shapes and sizes,” concludes


Mackenzie. “Workers need the ability to easily re- size hard hats to a secure fit that remains comfortable. Comfortable, well-fitted and well- ventilated (where compliant) safety helmets aren’t optional, they’re essential.”


MSA Safety gb.msasafety.com/head-protection


16 AUTUMN 2020 | INDUSTRIAL COMPLIANCE


/ INDUSTRIALCOMPLIANCE


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