1910.135 – Head protection. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
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What must the employer do to determine if head protection is needed?
To determine whether head protection is necessary, employers should evaluate the type of hazard faced by the employees.
To be effective, head protection generally should:
- Absorb the shock of a falling object.
- Prevent an object from penetrating it.
- Resist water.
- Burn slowly.
- Fit properly.
What does OSHA say about hard hats?
OSHA’s General Industry and Construction head protection standards, §1910.135 and §1926.100, respectively, do not require workers to wear hard hats when there is no risk of head injury.
Who must wear a hard hat?
Employees
Section 1926.100 (Head protection) states: (a) Employees working in areas where there is a possible danger of head injury from impact, or from falling or flying objects, or from electrical shock and burns, shall be protected by protective helmets. [Emphasis added.]
How long is a hard hat good for according to OSHA?
An OSHA hard hat expiration date does not exist, but manufacturers may set a specific date for expiration. Most replace their hard hats every 5 years. They replace the support strap annually.
What PPE is required by OSHA?
With few exceptions, OSHA requires employers to pay for personal protective equipment when it is used to comply with OSHA standards. These typically include: hard hats, gloves, goggles, safety shoes, safety glasses, welding helmets and goggles, face shields, chemical protective equipment and fall protection equipment.
What are the primary situations when employees must wear head protection?
Purpose. Hard hats are required when working in areas where there is a potential for injury to the head from falling objects. In addition, hard hats designed to reduce electrical shock are required when working near exposed electrical conductors that may contact the head.
Does OSHA allow stickers on hardhats?
OSHA will allow the placement of stickers on hard hats when the manufacturer authorizes the alteration. The employer will also need to prove that the PPE cannot be affected by the adhesive on the stickers. Once these actions are complete, a variety of labels can be placed on workers’ hard hats.
Is it an OSHA violation to wear your hard hat backwards?
Is it permissible to use such a hard hat with the bill facing to the rear? Response: Yes. Hard hats are required where “there is a possible danger of head injury from impact, or from falling or flying objects, or from electrical shock and burns” under 29 CFR 1926.100(a).
Does OSHA require chin straps on hard hats?
According to OSHA, employees wearing hard hats and working at elevations create potential hazards for employees below. To protect workers below, OSHA requires employers to provide chin straps for the protective helmets worn by employees working at higher elevations, whether in an aerial lift or at the edge of a pit.
What do the colors of hard hats mean?
Green for safety inspectors and occasionally new workers. Yellow for earth movers and general workers. Blue for carpenters, technical workers and temp workers. Orange for road crew workers, visitors and sometimes new employees.
Does OSHA require a hard hat in a bucket truck?
As OSHA previously stated in an August 23, 1983, letter to Congressman Sisisky, “where employees are not exposed to possible head injuries, head protection is not required by OSHA standards.” In your scenario, where no work is being performed overhead and there is no employee exposure to possible head injuries, there
Do you need a hard hat when working at height?
For the vast majority of cases yes – on almost all construction sites the risks of head injury are such that the law requires head protection to be worn.
What do you do with expired hard hats?
Most hard hats are made of #2 plastic (high density polyethylene), so they are fairly easy to recycle if you can get them to a company that accepts that type of plastic.
Is there a expiration date on hard hats?
MSA hard hat shells should be used no longer than 5 years, while suspensions should be replaced after 12 months. Both are the maximum time frame for replacement, calculated from date of first use. The date of manufacture is stamped or molded onto the hard hat shell, usually on the underside of the brim.
Do helmets have an expiration date?
In general, yes: Helmets have an expiration date. That’s because exposure to sunlight, heat, and other elements degrades the foam and other parts of the helmet. Plus, helmets tend to get knocked around with use. You don’t want to mess around with something designed to save your life.
What are the legal requirements for PPE?
Every employer shall ensure that suitable personal protective equipment is provided to his employees who may be exposed to a risk to their health or safety while at work except where and to the extent that such risk has been adequately controlled by other means which are equally or more effective.
What does OSHA say about long hair?
Protection from Head Injuries
Also, OSHA regulations require employers to ensure that workers cover and protect long hair to prevent it from getting caught in machine parts such as belts and chains.
What PPE Does my employer have to provide?
Ear protection such as ear plugs and ear protectors. Head protection such as hard hats and bump caps. Hand protection such as safety gloves. RPE such as valued and unvalued respirators.
What are four different types of head protection?
Head protection
Industrial safety helmets (hard hats) which are designed to protect against materials falling from a height or swinging objects. Industrial scalp protectors (bump caps) which are designed to protect from knocking against stationary objects. Caps/hair nets which protect against entanglement.
When should a safety helmet be worn?
Safety helmets (also known as hard hats) can prevent or minimise injuries to the head and brain, protecting against falling objects or debris, impact with other objects, electric shock and rain. Most head injuries can be avoided if the proper head protection is selected, used and maintained.