Safety helmets are an essential piece of personal protective equipment (PPE) that help to protect workers from head injuries. In the UK, there are several different types of safety helmets available, each designed for specific tasks and environments.
Its important to note that these different safety helmets have their own specific uses and it is important to carry out a risk assessment to determine the correct safety helmet type for your line of work. For example climbing helmets are not just used for rock climbers but are commonly used in the construction industry when working at height.
Hard Hats: These are the most common type of safety helmet, and are used in construction, industrial, and other environments where there is a risk of falling objects or impact to the head. Hard hats are typically made from a hard outer shell and a suspension system that helps to distribute the impact of a blow. They also often have ventilation holes to keep the wearer cool.
Bump Caps: Bump caps are designed for low-impact protection in environments where there is a risk of head injury from bumping into objects. They are typically made from a soft, lightweight material and do not have a suspension system. They are ideal for use in warehouses, factories, and other indoor environments.
Welding Helmets: Welding helmets are designed to protect the face and eyes from the intense light and heat generated by welding. They typically feature a dark visor that can be flipped up when not in use, and are often made from heat-resistant materials.
Safety Helmets for Climbing and Mountaineering: These helmets are designed for use in climbing and mountaineering activities. They are typically made from a hard outer shell with a shock-absorbing liner and straps to secure the helmet to the head. They are designed to protect the head from impact and penetration in case of an accident.
What are the safety standards for these different types?
Each of the safety helmet mentioned have been designed and tested to perform in accordance with different safety standards, below is a breakdown on what the safety standards are and there key requirements.
Standard Safety Helmet:
The safety standard for standard safety helmets in the UK is BS EN 397:2012. This standard specifies requirements for industrial helmets designed to protect the wearer's head against falling objects and to provide limited protection against side impacts.
Bump Cap:
The safety standard for bump caps in the UK is BS EN 812:2012. This standard specifies requirements for industrial bump caps designed to provide protection against impact and penetration caused by falling objects or by hitting the head against a stationary object.
Welding Helmet:
The safety standard for welding helmets in the UK is BS EN 175:1997. This standard specifies requirements for personal protective equipment for welding and allied processes, including welding helmets, designed to protect the wearer's head, face, and eyes against the hazards associated with welding and allied processes.
Climbing Helmet:
The safety standard for climbing helmets in the UK is BS EN 12492:2012. This standard specifies requirements for helmets designed for use in mountaineering, climbing, and caving, including protection against impacts from falling objects and from falls. The helmet must be marked with the manufacturer's name, model, and date of manufacture.
Conclusion
It is important to note that safety helmets must be used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and must be properly maintained to ensure that they provide adequate protection. Workers should also be trained on how to properly wear, adjust, and maintain their safety helmets.
OAKEYS safety has a wide range of head protection PPE to which we can supply all the different types of safety helmets specified above, if you would like further advise on the right safety helmet for you then contact the team today!
Safety Helmets & Bump Caps
Do you require a supplier that offers a wide range of head protection suitable for numerous different industries?
OAKEYS provides a wide range of differing head protection products. Different styles, colours, sizes, quality and performance.
Our range of head protection offers safety helmets/hard hats, bump caps, climbing helmets and safety helmets which offer more than one level of protection. We work with the industry leading manufactures such as Centurion safety helmets , Portwest safety helmets , Delta Plus safety helmets , Beeswift safety helmets , MSA safety helmets and KASK safety helmets.
We know it's important to be able to supply a range of safety helmets conforming to different standards, that's why we supply products conforming to safety standards such as EN397, EN12492 & EN182.
Within our range of hard hats there is hard hats with visors, hard hats with chinstraps and safety helmets with retractable visors. This ensures that no matter the hard hat required, we have got you covered.
Our range of safety bump caps or safety baseball caps provides enough options to choose from with market leaders such as 3M bump caps, Portwest bump caps, Centurion bump caps and Delta plus bump caps all available at the best UK prices online.
For new innovations, popular products and head protection that stands out for the crowd. Take a look at our full head protection range at OAKEYS.
