Construction Companies Make Switch from Hard Hats to Safety Helmets

To coincide with Construction Safety Week, two construction companies have announced they are switching gear from hard hats to safety helmets in order to further protect their workforce.

Safety helmets have slowly entered the market and will eventually become the norm on construction sites. Type 2 safety helmets are an improved design compared to traditional suspension-based hard hats as they will stay secure in the event of a fall.

TDIndustries is providing safety helmets to the workforce. The company is also continuing to educate workers on head protection safety innovation and how upgrading from hard hats to safety helmets can reduce traumatic brain injury risks.

Clark Construction Group has announced it will require all craft workers to wear safety helmets that meet certain performance standards and that are equipped with an integrated four-point chin strap on all new projects starting Aug. 1.

In 2017, Clark took the step of rolling out helmets to all of its employees. The year prior, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health found that 25% of all construction fatalities result from traumatic brain injuries, most of which occurred from a fall. With this data, Clark’s safety team began to search for ways to improve the protective gear utilized by employees. After more than a year of research, testing and evaluating internal and third-party studies, the company determined that safety helmets meeting certain performance standards and equipped with an integrated chin strap were a prudent solution to preventing TBIs as the result of a fall.

For Safety Week 2022, Clark has partnered with helmet manufacturers KASK, JSP and Milwaukee to distribute over 1,500 safety helmets to craft workers on its projects nationwide.