Northern Safety & Industrial
Head and face protection comes in a variety of choices, from headgear and faceshields to full-brim hard hats. The choice depends largely on the application.
Faceshield protection When protecting the face against chemicals, high temperatures, molten metal and other hazards, a faceshield is a great choice. Faceshields consist of two components: a visor and its headgear.
Manufacturers have made visors available in several different materials to meet the needs of the worksite, including polycarbonate, acetate, propionate, shade 3 and shade 5, and copolyester.
There are two ways to secure the visor to the head: adjustable headgear and hard hat visor carriers. Adjustable headgear covers the front of the head and includes straps to allow the user to manipulate the size of the headgear to ensure a proper fit.
Visor carriers allow someone to wear a faceshield in conjunction with a hard hat that has built-in accessory slots. This combination is not only convenient but assures optimum protection. Faceshields are considered secondary protection. In other words, ANSIapproved safety glasses or goggles must be worn as primary protection in order to be in compliance. Using a faceshield alone doesn't comply; both must be worn.
Hard hat protection
According to OSHA, head protection must meet five basic criteria to be effective:
- It must absorb the shock of a falling object.
- It must prevent an object from penetrating it.
- It must resist water.
- The material must burn slowly.
- The hat must fit properly.
The most common choice is a hard hat. OSHA's head protection standard (29 CFR 1910.135) requires employees to wear protective helmets in areas where there is a risk of impact to, or penetration of, the head. This includes:
- Being below co-workers using tools or materials that can fall.
- Being around or under conveyor belts or other machinery that may cause objects to fall.
- In situations where employees may bump their heads.
If employees are working near exposed electrical conductors that may contact the head, they must wear a protective hard hat to reduce the risk of electrical shock. Hard hats are available with varying levels of protection. It's important to choose the correct hard hat for a situation.
- Type I is the most common type of head protection and protects the top of the head from impact.
- Type II protects the top and sides of the head from impact.
- Class E should be worn by employees working near electrical hazards. Class E hard hats have been tested to 20,000 volts.
- Class G provides minimum protection against electrical hazards. These hard hats have only been tested to 2,200 volts.
- Class C is classified as conductive. This class of hard hats should not be worn when working with or near electricity.
Daily inspection and use
Hard hats must be inspected daily or before each use. Employees must replace a headband that's stretched or worn. The entire hard hat must be replaced if the shell is cracked, broken or punctured. If the hard hat has taken a heavy blow, it must be replaced, even if it doesn't show any damage.
Hard hats should be replaced after five years of use if they're worn in environments that have sunlight, chemicals or temperature extremes. Suspensions should be replaced after one year of use. Here are some tips on how to extend the life of a hard hat:
- Avoid scraping or banging hard hats.
- Don't throw them around.
- Clean hard hats at least once a month. Dip hard hats in hot, soapy water; then scrub, rinse and dry.
- Take out the removable sweatband and wash it periodically.
- Store hard hats in a cool place.
- Avoid leaving the hard hat in the sun. Sunlight will deteriorate it.
Head and face protection is crucial to keeping workers safe and productive on the job. Choosing the right protection for the job is the first step in staying safe.
For more information, visit www.north ernsafety.com or call (800) 922-8533.
