Are you confident enough that you are wearing a hard hat following the right way? You may feel pain wearing a hard hat, but you can’t avoid wearing this selfless friend in a hazardous environment.
You may feel hot, or you may say your hard hat is about to fall. You can say whatever your wish. But you can’t stop wearing your hard hat. If you do so, you will be at risk, and if anything unpleasant happens, you will be responsible for that.
However, wearing a hard hat and following the right way is inevitable. In the end, the hard hat is keeping you safe from all types of falling objects.
In this article, I am going to share a few tips regarding “how to wear a hard hat?” Read the discussion intently to improve your knowledge about wearing a hard hat.
Hard Hat – Definition, Construction, and Type
A hard hat is a type of helmet that keeps an associate safe from any falling debris, stone, or brick, as well as from electric shock. Also, a hard hat is highly appreciated for its selfless characteristics.
The hard hat goes under the category of PPE, and on average, the weight of a hard hat is 15 ounces.
You will find 2 major parts in a hard hat: The harness and the outer shell.
The outer shell is made of different materials like high-density polyethylene or polycarbonate. Hard hats are not only durable due to the materials, but also they are lightweight and non-conductive (particularly hard hats) too.
And the next part is the harness. It is a type of strip that is made of nylon-type materials. To give you a comfortable fitting, you can adjust the harness.
You will find 2 types of hard hats in the market—type I and Type II. Type I hard hat is best to keep your head safe from any falling objects. On the other hand, type II hard hats are keeping the wearer safe from any blows and objects. Type II hard hats keep their closed eyes to keep your head, neck, and side safe from falling debris.
Also, based on the electrical shock absorbing power, hard hats are further classified into 3 classes: Class C, G, and E.
Wearing Etiquette of Hard Hat
There is no doubt about the statement, “hard hat can save your life.” But the improper wearing of a hard hat will lead you to a dangerous incident. Follow the below list of wearing etiquette of a hard hat.
- Your head and hat need to be placed all aligned. Adjust the harness in such a way that 1 – 1 ½” free space remains between your head and the hard hat.
- Never create holes in the outer shell of a hard hat. Thus, the hard hat lost its protective power.
- While wearing a hard hat, read out the instruction for wearing a hard hat shared by the manufacturer—however, avoid wearing hard hats backward.
- Under the hard hat, wearing any cap or ball cap is prohibited.
- You can put stickers on your hard hat, but there should be a limit. Sometimes, stickers are reflective, and they can hamper the safety features of a hard hat.
- If your hard hat falls off unknowingly or comes to contact with a forceful strike and thus the hard hat creates a fine line, then without delay, replace your hard hat.
- Make sure; there shouldn’t any objects between the hard hat’s outer shell and the suspension.
- Hard hats are available in different types and classes. Make sure that your hard hat is compatible with your job site.
- Don’t forget to give a daily inspection of the hard hat. Also, check the suspension, whether it is in good condition or not.
- Don’t leave the hard hat under the sunlight. Excessive heat and UV rays can cause big damage to your hard hat.
Words are not enough to describe the benefit of hard hats. A hard hat is ready to save you from bumps and knocks, hanging objects, and electrical shock. Wearing a hard hat may be a pain for so many people, but in the end, you need to remain safe. Your beloved people are waiting for you at home.
So, next time, whenever you are wearing a hard hat, remember to inspect it thoroughly and then wear it.
Hard Hat Maintenance
If you don’t take proper care of your selfless friend, it will start giving you faulty performance. So, to ensure safety, correct maintenance and taking care are mandatory.
Inspection while wearing a new hard hat: When you are going to wear a hard hat for the first time in your life, before wearing it, make sure that you have chosen the right size and appropriate class and type of hard hat.
Daily inspection: Inspect the hard hat intently whenever you are wearing it. Look whether any cracks are available on the outer shell or not. If you find any cracks or chalks, don’t delay replacing the hard hat. Make sure that the suspension is comfortably fitting.
Maintenance: You can clean your hard hat using warm water and a bar of mild soap. Don’t choose any harsh or abrasive chemical or product to clean the hard hat. These cleaners can mar the surface undoubtedly.
Always keep your hard hat in a secure place to get the most benefit from a hard hat. Direct sunlight will harm the outer shell, and slowly it will start giving you a disturbing performance. So, don’t be lazy to clean your hard hat every week.
Moreover, if the sweatbands get dirty and unclean, don’t hesitate to remove them and give them a wash with warm water and detergent.
Conclusion
The first condition of wearing a hard hat is, learning about the head size. If you have any specific questions about wearing a hard hat, it would be best if you contact the manufacturer.