What people might not realise is that wearing a hoodie or beanie under your hard hat can reduce the protection that a helmet gives, especially when working at high risks.

In many situations, such as working on a construction site, it is a requirement to wear suitable head protection such as an EN397 industrial Safety Helmet. At this time of year we start to see a large number of workers wearing their hoodies or beanie hats under their safety helmets to keep them warm. This not only endangers themselves by compromising the fit of the helmet, but also endangers others if the helmet were to fall off of their head from a height.

If someone was hit with a falling hard hat, because of the height, even wearing head protection themselves – they could be severely injured. Wearing a hoodie or beanie under a hard hat could result in the following:

• Narrows field of vision, increasing chance of collision with machinery and other dangers
• Expose your own head, placing yourself in danger of a head injury
• Drop what you are holding by reacting to catch the falling safety helmet. This could injure a colleague who is assisting you, or the object could fall with the helmet.
• Endanger individuals passing below with the falling helmet.
• Damaged or cracked safety helmet, compromising the protection it provides

A safety helmet is designed to withstand a single lifesaving impact. Any significant knock to the helmet even falling from the wearers head, should result in the replacement of the helmet. A worker is by far the most valuable commodity on the site and safety should never be compromised.

What does the HSE say about suitable head protection?

The HSE lists the following when referring to suitable head protection. Head protection should:

• Be in good condition. If it is damaged, throw it away
• Fit the person wearing it and be worn properly
• Not stop wearing hearing protectors as well (when needed)
• Only be obtained from a reputable supplier – there are fake hard hats on the market

FAQ: Why is it bad to wear a hoody or beanie under a safety helmet?  By wearing a hoody/beanie (or other winter hat) under your safety helmet, you are interfering with the fit of the harness. Wearing anything underneath the helmet means that it cannot be fitted, adjusted or worn to the manufacturers safety requirements, putting yourself and others in danger. A hoody also reduces your field of vision. This greatly increases the chance of an accident as the wearer may be unaware of oncoming plant machinery, trip or fall hazards or other individuals working. What can we safely wear to keep our heads warm on site? As a manufacturer of industrial head protection we advise that best practice would be to only use manufacturer approved head warmers under your safety helmet. This will ensure you receive the best possible fit for your safety helmet without compromising on safety. Why should I not wear a baseball cap under my safety helmet?  Many caps can feature a metal ‘button’ on the top. This small piece of metal could increase the chance of electrical currents passing through the shell of your safety helmet and forfeiting any electrical standards that it may adhere to.