A Guide to Safety Helmets in Construction

Safety helmets have been protecting workers in the construction industry for years. All safety helmets must be manufactured to a recognised standard as they are an essential part of your PPE if you work in an environment where your head is at risk of impact injury or other hazards. Below we answer some common questions on safety helmets in construction.

Do safety helmets have to be worn on a construction site?

The risks of receiving a head injury is deemed high enough that the law requires head protection, such as safety helmets, be worn on almost all construction sites in the UK. All workers must be provided with, and wear, suitable head protection in order to comply with the Personal Protective Equipment Regulations 1992.

If there is no risk of a head injury, then safety helmets are not required. However, on almost all construction sites, despite controls being put in place to lower the risk, there will almost always remain situations where the risk of head injury still exists.

How are safety helmets deemed suitable for the job?

Any safety helmets provided should be in good condition. High Density Polyethylene is the most common plastic used to make safety helmets, because of its versatility offering both good impact resistance. If it's damaged, replace it. It should  fit the person wearing it and be worn properly, not stop you from wearing hearing protectors when needed, and only be obtained from a reputable supplier as there are many fake safety helmets on the market which will not provide adequate protection.

What colour helmet should be worn on a construction site?

There are currently a number of different approaches to safety helmet colours in construction. This inconsistent approach is confusing and potentially dangerous, so the safety helmet colour scheme has been created in order to help reduce the dangers on construction sites, as people of different experience levels would be easier to distinguish.

• Black safety helmet: Site Supervisors.
• Orange safety helmet: Slinger/Signaller.
• Blue safety helmet: Inexperienced Person / Visitor – Issue will be determined following an assessment of an individual’s experience at site induction. Applies to all including suppliers, clients and others.
• White safety helmet: General Use (Including sites where colour coding impractical), Manager, Client, Competent Operative.

How can I ensure that my employees wear a safety helmet?

There are some ways to help ensure that our employees wear the safety helmets provided. Other than making it a site rule, if you always wear your safety helmet then you set an example to your employees. You can also carry out regular checks that others are wearing theirs.

Are there any exemptions to wearing safety helmets on a construction site?

Yes there are exemptions to wearing a safety helmet. The Employment Act 1989 exempts turban-wearing Sikhs from any legal requirement to wear a safety helmet on a construction site. Though any other required personal protective equipment must still be worn. There is no exemption to wearing a safety helmet for Sikhs who choose not to wear a turban, or for any other religious groups.