Professional safety helmet

Types of helmets in work safety

Whether working at height or in the commercial sector, the helmet is an indispensable part of any equipment. Certified according to European and international standards, safety helmets reliably protect the head against impact or falling objects.

INDUSTRIAL SAFETY HELMETS EN 397
Industrial safety helmets are designed to protect the wearer’s head from falling objects. The standard defines the following mandatory requirements:

If the helmet has vents, their total area must be at least 150 mm2 and no more than 450 mm2
Vertical shock absorption
Penetration resistance to pointed and sharp objects
Flame resistance
Chin strap fixation: Chin strap releases at a minimum of 150 N and a maximum of 250 N

In addition, there are some optional requirements:

Resistant to very low temperatures (-20 °C or -30 °C)
Resistant to very high temperatures (+150 °C)
Electrical insulation (1.2 mA)
Resistance to metal splashes
Lateral deformation

An extract from the standard can be found here >

ELECTRICALLY INSULATING HELMETS EN 50365
Electrically insulating helmets are used to protect against electric shocks and to prevent dangerous through-flow of the body, e.g. when working on low-voltage installations. The following requirements must be met according to the standard:

All requirements according to EN 397
Protection against AC voltage up to 1000 V (AC) or DC voltage up to 1500 V (DC)
Insulating helmets must not contain conductive parts
Ventilation openings (if any) must not allow accidental contact with electrically powered parts

MOUNTAINEERING HELMETS EN 12492
Mountaineering helmets are helmets that protect the wearer’s head from hazards that may occur during mountaineering (falling rocks, impact during a fall). The following requirements must be met according to the standard:

Helmet must be ventilated: The area of the ventilation openings must be at least 4 cm2
Shock absorption ability vertical, frontal, lateral, dorsal
Penetration resistance
Strength of the chin strap: chin strap must release at min. 500 N
Elongation of the chin strap: chin strap may show a maximum elongation of 25 mm
Effectiveness of the chin strap: helmet must not slide off the head (pull-off test)

An extract from the standard can be found here >

HELMET CONSTRUCTIONS

Different types of helmets are used in mountain sports and in work safety. They differ in their construction and function and are therefore suitable for different applications. The construction can be roughly divided into three types: so-called hard shell helmets, in-mold helmets and hybrid helmets.

The requirements and test procedures for mountaineering helmets are laid down and described in the EN 12492 standard.

Hard shell helmets
These helmets have an extremely robust and shockproof shell made of plastic, which extends over the entire outer helmet surface. In the past, shells made of glass-fibre reinforced plastic were mainly used, whereas nowadays mixtures of polypropylene and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) are mostly used. An internal strap construction increases the damping properties and ensures that the helmet does not sit directly on the head. Impact energy is absorbed by the elongation of the straps and the elastic deformation of the shell.

Thanks to its extremely stable construction and the mostly antibacterial straps, which can be easily removed and cleaned, this helmet form is particularly suitable for commercial facilities such as climbing centres and adventure parks.

In-mold helmets
Helmets with in-mold technology have a thin outer shell made of polycarbonate, which is firmly connected to a shock-absorbing EPS core (expanded polystyrene). Energy is absorbed by deformation of the EPS core. The polycarbonate shell protects the EPS core from damage and distributes the force over a larger area. Depending on the model, the outer shell may also only partially cover certain areas. In-mold or softshell helmets are particularly light, but also less robust than other helmet types. In-mold helmets can be easily damaged for example by carelessly sitting on the backpack with the helmet inside.

Hybrid Helmets
Hybrid helmets combine the advantages of the technologies of hard shell and in-mold helmets. The outer shell consists of a robust and shock-resistant plastic shell made of ABS. Inside, a foamed core made of EPS (expanded polystyrene) or EPP (expanded polypropylene) provides the best cushioning properties. Hybrid helmets are particularly robust all-rounders.