Construction hard hats are necessary work site equipment that must be worn at all times while on the site. The hard hat provides protection from falling objects such as debris or dropped tools and from adverse weather conditions or electric shock.

Hard hats are made these days from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or other advanced engineering resins such as Ultem.

Although to the casual observer all hard hats may look very similar, there are different grades and styles. Over the last 10 years or so there have been a number of advances in hard hat technology thanks to knowledge gained from the design and performance of firefighter helmets.

Weight and size have both been reduced to make the construction hard hat more comfortable and easier to move around in tight spaces without bumping it or dislodging it.

So let's take a quick look at the various different types of hard hats available.

These hard hats are the most popular and widely used on the market. It is the standard hard hat that most people think of when they talk about a construction hard hat. They feature a basic baseball cap brim or visor at the front and may come in a slotted or non-slotted design.

The non-slotted hard hat is the basic vanilla hard hat that is worn in most instances by visitors to a construction site or by workmen who have no other hardware requirements.

A slotted hard hat is referring to slots located above the ears that allow the wearer to attach accessories such as ear protectors, flashlight holders and fold-down face shields.

Your typical standard hard hat will be made with a durable polyethylene shell, a snugly fitting suspension system made by a known brand such as Staz-On and can be adjustable to fit multiple head sizes. The helmet will also have to meet or exceed the Type I safety standards as outlined in ANSI Z89.1 1997, Class E & G.

Standard hard hats are available from manufacturers such as MSA, Willson, Jackson, ERB, Bullard.

One of the chief complaints with workers who had to wear the original styles of hard hats was that they get too hot. The answer was to come up with a hard hat that included air vents along the top.

The vents provide more comfort for the wearers who may be working in hot conditions. The vents have been devised and incorporated into the hard hats in such a way that it will not compromise the safety function of the hat.

All major hard hat manufacturers produce a line of vented hard hats in a full range of colors.

These are hard hats with a brim that extends completely around them rather than simply the front brim. This type of hard hat provides extra sun protection by shielding the neck and ears. Because of this type of design added equipment such as ear protectors cannot be worn because the brim prevents the accessory slot option to be used.

Full brim hard hats are often more heavy-duty construction hats providing greater protection in places where elevated temperatures are common. The wider brim serves to protect the ears and neck more effectively than other hard hats.

Specialist hard hats have been designed for the mining industry for underground and surface work. These hard hats are usually designed as the lightest weight caps available, but it’s also necessary for these types of hard hats to come equipped with a full range of accessory slots due to the need for lighting and ear protection to be available.

I recently read a story about an explosives expert working in a mine at the face of an excavation that was 48 feet high when part of the wall came away, landing on his head. The accident left the man unconscious for a brief period and when he came to it was found he had suffered a laceration to the back of the head. His employer insisted he be taken for medical treatment and upon examination of his hard hat it was found that a small nick had been taken out of the hat too. The man was able to return to work the next day, whereas if he had not been wearing his hard hat he would in all probability have died.

These are not hard hats per se and are not certified to meet any of the impact protection requirements that hard hats do. They are specifically designed to provide protection to workers who may be working in an area where head bumps and lacerations are common.

Bump caps may be commonly seen in automotive repair facilities, warehouses and food processing plants.

As well as coming in different styles, construction hard hats are also designed to meet certain ANSI safety standards. An ANSI certification label will be affixed to every hard hat on the inside of the shell indicating the type and class standards it was designed to meet.

The impact types of hard hats can be defines as two types:

Type I Hard Hats - which are intended to reduce the force of impact only to the top of the head. Other than bump caps, all hard hats are Type I hard hats.

Type II Hard Hats - which are intended to reduce the force of an impact that has been received off center from the top of the head.

There are also 3 different classes of hard hats that relate to their effectiveness in protection against electricity. Class G hard hats are intended to reduce the danger of low voltage conductors, Class E hard hats are intended to reduce the exposure to high voltage conductors and Class C hard hats are not intended to provide protection against contact with electrical conductors.