Sources: American Society of Concrete Contractors, St. Louis; CP staff
The ASCC Education, Research & Development Foundation has launched www.hardhatstohelmets.org with an eye to elevating construction worker safety provisions. The site is dedicated to promoting an industry shift from traditional head protection gear to a chin strap-outfitted alternative engineered to perform under a greater variety of incidents and worker maneuvers. The Hard Hats-to-Helmets (H2H) initiative stems from American Society of Concrete Contractors Safety & Risk Management Council measures to reduce head injury frequency and severity, and coincides with key ASCC members’ migration to strapped helmets as their primary head protection requirement.
ASCC developed the website to provide a one-stop shop for information related to features, benefits and emerging technologies surrounding impact- and energy-absorbing construction helmets. Site content likewise covers regulatory requirements, hard hat to helmet evolution, site safety success stories, and detailed product information from gear manufacturers.
ASCC Sustaining Member Structural Technologies LLC, Baltimore, supported the ASCC Foundation’s www.hardhatstohelmets.org development. “The site will help get the message out: The construction industry can reduce the number of head injuries and fatalities today by saying no to continuing to use 60-year-old hard hat designs and yes to helmets that deliver the best technology available for head protection,” observes Structural Technologies Chairman Peter Emmons.
Like those used for biking, rock climbing and skiing, construction helmets are extensively tested and approved for workers throughout the world, he adds. Safety professionals recognize the protection helmets provide from head injuries due to falls, as well as impact and penetration resistance to all areas of the head. With support from industry organizations and partners, ASCC officials note, the H2H site will continue to share a message leading to a reduction of traumatic brain injuries and deaths in construction.