How Much Do You REALLY Know About Head Protection Standards?

May 8, 2025|Construction, Head, PPE, Safety

By Cam Mackey, Contributor

The risk of head injury is a daily reality for a broad array of workers in a variety of occupational settings, including construction and electrical workers, roadside crews, warehouse workers, landscapers, inspectors, and others.

In fact, about every 10 minutes, a worker in the U.S. is struck by an object that fell from above. Head injuries can also occur when a worker falls, comes into contact with machinery, or is simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 195,720 occupational head injuries were reported from 2021-2022. A head injury might just be a painful bump, but it can also impair an employee for life — or be fatal. Intracranial injuries killed 684 workers in 2022, according to the National Safety Council, and one out of eight occupational fatalities in 2022 were due to intracranial injuries.

Such risks can be mitigated by wearing the right type of head protection. Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions about industrial head protection. Even more concerning, fewer than half of workers experiencing a fall-related head injury were wearing any head protection.

A 2024 study revealed widespread misunderstanding about key head protection terms and standards.

Misconceptions

A 2024 study of occupational safety professionals conducted by J. J. Keller and the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) — Head Protection Practices and Challenges — showed significant knowledge gaps, and overconfidence, when it comes to modern head protection.[1] Although 72% of safety professionals believed they understood the differences between hard hats and safety helmets, the data showed that confusion and misconceptions — or at least oversimplification and inaccurate blanket statements — are common.

The study revealed five big head-protection challenges facing safety pros:

Misinformation: The study revealed misunderstanding and overconfidence about key head protection terms and standards.
Proper Wear: Only 15% of safety professionals reported head protection was being worn correctly all of the time.
Maintenance: Only around half of safety professionals trained workers on how to maintain their head protection.
Comfort/Fit: Despite the number of head protection options available in the market, respondents struggled to find head protection that is comfortable and fits their employees properly.
Heat-related Concerns: With recent record-breaking temperatures, it’s no surprise that heat is a factor, causing employees not to wear their head protection.

The study revealed that safety professionals weren’t sure about the difference between hard hats, safety helmets, climbing helmets, and bump caps. They didn’t know the difference between Type I and Type II head protection and the ANSI/ISEA Z89.1 and EN 12492 standards. Nearly six out of 10 perceived “safety helmets” as always offering more protection than “hard hats.” Common statements included misconceptions like: “helmets are always safer,” “hard hats don’t have modern features,” and “EN 12492 offers more protection than Z89.1.”

One especially concerning statistic: Eight out of 10 respondents thought that only helmet-style head protection offered impact protection on the top, sides, front, and back — which isn’t true. Actually, this level of protection (referred to as Type II) can be offered in both hard hat and helmet styles.

Failing to separate fact from fiction about head protection can be as fatal as not wearing it at all.

Hard Hat vs. Safety Helmet

Some of the confusion stems from how the history of head protection has unfolded. “Hard hats” have been around in one form or another for over a century, long before there were any federal or industry head protection standards. They began as hats coated with a shellac to add some rigidity to the fabric. Today, many styles of head protection are available with cutting-edge innovations in material science, cooling technology, and sensors. Some have chin straps and other accessories, including earmuffs, goggles, and more.

The current American National Standard does not actually define terms like “hard hat” or “safety helmet.” Those are marketing terms, not safety terms. Different manufacturers have different styles — and style is not the same as protection.

In fact, when it comes to head protection, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. There are different styles and types of head protection on the market, and safety managers have the tough but essential job of selecting the appropriate type and class of head protection for their workers’ specific environment and potential hazards.

At ISEA, we make a big point of constantly reminding everyone to read the label on every piece of head protection. They might look the same or similar but looks are deceiving. You can’t determine what level of protection a product offers from its outward appearance.

Get to Know the Safety Standards

In addition to reading the label on each product, we urge health and safety professionals to study and use the two consensus industry standards pertaining to head protection:

ANSI/ISEA Z89.1-2014 (R2019) American National Standard for Industrial Head Protection provides performance and testing requirements for industrial helmets, commonly known as hard hats. It establishes the types and classes of protective helmets, depending on the type of hazard encountered. It includes specifications for helmets designed to offer protection from lateral impact, or top-only impact, giving employers and users the flexibility to specify the helmet that best meets the needs of their workplace. This standard is undergoing active revision, with the revised standard expected to be published in the coming months.
ANSI/ISEA 100-2024 is the first-ever voluntary industry consensus standard for industrial bump caps. Developed by ISEA in collaboration with industry stakeholders, this new standard establishes clear performance, testing, and labeling criteria to ensure workers receive the best possible protection. This standard outlines two performance levels, defining Level 1 and Level 2 bump caps for different work environments. It addresses universal bump cap inserts to accommodate diverse worker needs and improve safety guidance. It also includes enhanced testing requirements, providing clarity on impact protection and fit to ensure effectiveness.

Test Your Head Protection Knowledge

Failing to separate fact from fiction about head protection can be as fatal as not wearing it at all. To help save lives, ISEA offers a comprehensive but easy-to-understand online resource.[2] This guide serves to:

Walk users through 10 typical myths and misconceptions.
Enable anyone to get a copy of ANSI/ISEA Z89.1-2014 R2019, the American National Standard for Industrial Head Protection.
Explain the importance of actually reading the label on each product to get beyond marketing hype.
Address the standards-based types of head protection and outline their testing requirements.
Offer a video in which two experts explain the importance of wearing head protection to prevent traumatic brain injuries among construction workers and how best to choose the appropriate one.
Provide links to additional resources and the latest news about head protection.

Proper head protection is vital to helping prevent brain injury. For a deeper dive into the consequences of brain injury, readers may want to explore information available through the Brain Injury Association of America (biausa.org) and the National Association of State Head Injury Administrators (nashia.org).