When it comes to personal protective equipment (PPE), hard hats are sometimes seen as a box ticking exercise.

However, it is important to provide workers with appropriate PPE for their specific requirements.

Effectively reviewing what additional helmet enhancements would help to protect the workers and improve their productivity could seriously up your PPE compliance on a day-to-day basis.

There is a three-step process in selecting, accessorising, and branding an appropriate hard hat.

Step 1 - The appropriate helmet: Firstly, consider whether it is important that your safety helmet is CE marked, and meets the standards required for your specific working environments.

Primarily, there are two key industry standards to be aware of: EN 397: Industrial safety helmets; and EN 50365: Electrically insulated helmets

Step 2 - Appropriate accessories: Once you have considered your working environment, and acquired a helmet that will best meet those regulatory requirements, you can begin to optimise your PPE by applying accessories you deem appropriate.

To achieve this, MSA Safety aims to deliver hard hats that are comfortable to wear and complementary to specific jobs, whilst enhancing safety performance.

Accessories can help to achieve this, and here are just a few that are worth considering:

• Sweatbands.

• Winter liners.

• Eye and face protectors.

• Lamp brackets.

• Chinstraps.

• Ear defenders.

Step 3 - Branding: While adding accessories can enhance functionality and safety on an individual level, other changes can also be made to enhance company-wide performance.

Hard hats are often required in industrial settings where hundreds of workers may be operating.

In such scenarios, multiple sub-contractors are likely to be working in tandem, with each requiring specific hard hats with the right accessories.

Electricians may need helmets compliant with EN 50365, while scaffolders may need EN 12492 certified models with four-point chinstraps for an improved fit.

Additionally, further customisation can be added to enhance visibility or promote safety practices on site.

Company branding can be added to helmets which enhances professionalism and can provide subtle branding and marketing opportunities.

This can also serve to unify workforces and foster a greater sense of pride and belonging.

At MSA Safety, it's Logo Express service means that you can have branded hard hats manufactured within as little as five days.

If protecting one of the most vital organs in your body is a top priority for your workforce, consider whether you can make that decision easier by starting with these three simple considerations.

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