Tag Archives: Hard Hat

Why should one use Hard Hat at the construction site?

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To take preventive measures against head injuries is a key factor in all safety programs. Certain occupations are susceptible to a more risky environment as compared to others. Being employed in a construction industry is one such job where the employees are compelled to take safety precautions. Even a single bruise sometimes handicapped the person for good or it can be lethal too.

Safety Hard Hats protects a person from diverse menaces. It is a kind of helmet used at the construction sites to protect the head mainly. Organizations which issue Hard Hats generally include their companies’ logos on the front portion of the hat.

Reasons of Using Hard Hat at the Construction Site

The rigid cover of the Hard Hat resists the blows. The system of suspension placed inside the hats work as a shock absorbent. Some of the hats are designed to function as an insulator against the electric shocks. It shields the face, scalp and neck of the employee spills, drips and splashes. Like welding helmets, Hard Hats are equipped with visors to protect the eyes. Mirrors are also fitted with the hats to increase the rear view of the field. A chinstrap is attached with the helmet to keep it from falling off when the wearer bends over. These hats also have a flashlight or headlamp to free the hands of the workers from holding a torch while at work. Most of the employees prefer the hats composed of brown glass as it has more balance, less weight and highly immune to stains and scrapes. The brown glass hard hats also do not let the rainwater to set drops on the hat’s edge. The small space between the head and the shell lessens the blow by at least 3 cms with the help of safety distance cushion when an object is falling vertically.

Service life span of Hard Hats

The most common misconception regarding Hard Hat is that it has a predetermined service period-but this is not true. According to the ANSI standards, all the ingredients of the Hat should be inspected daily to check the signs of cracks, dents, damages or any kind of penetration due to the everyday wear and tear. Hard Hats of MSA brand publish their own ‘Useful Service Life Guidelines’. These guidelines state the replacement of the Hard Hat after every 5 years and the suspension should be changed after 1year. The Hats which fail in the ocular inspection should be use only after rectifying the problem.

Plastic Hard Hats are sensitive to UV rays and hence can cause a problem. Problems caused by UV rays are easy to detect, as it will start to lose its glossy look. Further degradation causes the shell to flake away. Therefore, as soon as the UV damages are detected, the Hard Hat’s shell should be replaced.

Protection is the first concern of every person. So, don’t forget to put on a Hard Hat while working at the construction site.

Safety norms can’t be ignored in a construction site

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Construction industry is a multi-billion dollar industry and like every big industry it also has areas that can create trouble for the owner of the business. This industry has many such areas but it seems that people have learned how to tackle them effectively and continue running the business. However, there is one such thing that recurs in spite of several steps taken by the governing body. The area is “Safety”. When we talk about Safety, it is not only limited to the safety of the people working in the site but also relates to the heavy equipment that are working along with the men. There have been several safety norms laid by companies but still accidents are bound to happen. At times, it is beyond our control but most of the time, it is within our reach. So how can something that we try to avoid safety happen so often. It is perhaps we tend to get over confident on ourselves and somehow believe that nothing is going to happen and therefore see no use of following the safety norms. This is where we lose our focus from one of the most important aspect that this industry relies on.

Wearing helmets while inside the construction site:-

We may skip to do something as simple as wearing helmets inside the construction site. While we enter the site, we probably do not see any danger but danger does not give a call before coming. A small piece of stone falling from the 20th story building can drill your head leading to serious injuries and you never know if the accident will happen to you or not. Therefore, skipping the most generic part of safety is for sure asking for trouble.

Hire qualified and experienced operators:-

We all want to save money but certainly not at the cost of our or someone else’s lives. What happens when you hire an operator who is not qualified to operate the equipment you want him to work on or for that matter you yourself want to see how it feels to be inside the cab. A wrong push of the lever and a major accident is on its way. You are not supposed to play around with things that are of so much importance. If you want to learn things, learn it from the right person. Hire a qualified and experienced operator. Even if you have to pay more to him, please do so. At least you will be assured that your men and machines will be safe.

Don’t allow the operator to do overtime:-

You may have lot of work to finish on the site for which you need the operator to work overtime. A couple of occasions of overtime are fine but do not make it a habit. Remember, operators are humans and not machines and they need proper sleep or else if they go drowsy at work.

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