When is the use of a safety helmet mandatory?

A safety helmet is a personal protective equipment intended to be worn or held by a worker to protect his head mainly from mechanical hazards or blows. However, they can also protect workers from other risks such as electrical or thermal risks.

In the new generation of helmets, like our NGD-One, helmets can do much more than prevent a fall or hard blow. The use of wearable technology and Internet of Things, allows knowing the location of the person using them, receiving relevant data in real-time, defining dangerous zones within the workspace or asking for help with its rescue button, among other features.

WHEN IS THE USE OF A SAFETY HELMET MANDATORY?

The safety helmet, like any personal protective equipment, must be provided by the employer, whenever indicated by the risk assessment team or the health and safety plan.

This way, the helmet is mandatory in all those jobs in which there are risks of falling objects, blows against objects, electrical risks, etc.

Each country or region has its own occupational safety regulation, so if you need to know whether or not the use of a helmet is mandatory in your workplace, we always recommend that you consult an expert in occupational risk prevention.

That said, in general the list of activities and sectors that may require the use of a safety helmet is as follows:

• Construction Industry: especially, activities in, under or near scaffolding and work stations located at height, formwork and stripping works, assembly and installation, scaffolding and demolition.
• Works on metal bridges, high-rise metal buildings and structures, poles, towers, steel hydraulic works, blast furnace installations, steel mills, rolling mills, large containers, large diameter pipelines, boiler installations and power plants.
• Works in pits, trenches, wells and galleries.
• Earthworks and rock works.
• Work in mining: deep-sea mining, in quarries, open-pit mining and displacement of dumps.
• Work with explosives.
• Activities in lifts, lifting mechanisms, cranes and means of transport.
• Activities in blast furnace facilities, direct reduction plants, steel mills, rolling mills, metallurgical factories, hammer shops, stamping shops and foundries.
• Work in industrial ovens, containers, appliances, silos, hoppers and pipelines.
• Shipbuilding works.
• Train maneuvers.

HOW TO PROPERLY PRESERVE THE HELMET?

The safety helmet must be properly preserved according to the manufacturer’s instructions. It should be considered:

• Cleaning the helmet periodically. Do not use abrasive cleaning elements that can damage the helmet.
• Store it in a safe place. Avoid being exposed to the sun or other types of weather conditions. Protect it against falls or shocks in its storage place.
• For hygiene and safety, the helmet must be for personal and non-transferable use, never shared between two or more workers.

Like any protective equipment it must be checked periodically by an expert. Keep in mind that your helmet must be in perfect conditions for its effectiveness to be total.