Differentiating Hard Hats and Bump Caps

A lot of people who are working at a construction site are wondering if they should be using a hard hat or a bump cap. However, before deciding which to use, it is important to know the difference between the two.

The most important difference between a hard hat and a bump cap is that hard hats are ANSI compliant and required by the OHSA. On the other hand, a bump cap is not regulated compared to a hard hat.

Hard hats and bump caps are both used in a construction site as a head protective gear. People who are working in hazardous areas such as a construction site are required to wear protective equipment as a safety measure.

Bump caps have seamless one-piece design that is made of LDPE or low density polyethylene or plastic. This type of head protection is especially designed with a lightweight shell and with no suspension system. The main purpose of wearing a bump cap is to protect the head from bumps or minor injuries. It is intended to be worn in an area that has low head clearance or low hanging machineries. Bump caps are ideal to be worn at areas or work environments that include automotive repair, meter reading, food processing, pest control, maintenance departments, and also truck drivers.
On the other hand, hard hats are considered as the top choice for head protection. This type hard hat is a hard shell that is made with HDPE or high density polyethylene, nylon, plastic, and or lightweight thermoplastic resins. Within the hard hat is also a suspension system that is made with nylon, plastic, and combinations of the two other materials.

Hard hats are required by the OHSA and ideal to be used in workplace environments wherein head injuries and other accidents can happen unexpectedly anytime. Head injuries, falling debris, and falling objects would commonly occur at workplace areas such as construction sites, logging, and climbing utility poles.

When it comes to wearing the right type of head protective gear, it is important to determine your risk level for head injuries. If you are working in an area where there is only slight risk level, then you can wear bump caps. However, if you are working at an area where the risk for accidents is high, it is important to wear hard hats to keep you safe.

Always prioritize your safety more than anything else. Wearing hard hats cap and bump caps are only some of the ways to keep you safe and protected against possible head injuries. There are a lot of other personal protective gears that should always be worn whenever you are on your workplace.

It is the responsibility of the construction site operator to ensure that the workers are safe at the workplace. If the nature of the workplace deals with many hazards, the construction site operator has to adhere to the policies implemented. This is important because not adhering to the policies can only subject the owner to numerous fines and charges.

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