TOOL BOX TALK
TOOL BOX TALK
A SAFETY HATThe human brain relies upon the skull to protect it
from damage. But in spite of the fact that nature has provided us
with this protection, the human skull is not designed to withstand
hard knocks and falling objects of all shapes and sizes.
Most individuals in the Petrochemical, Construction and Oil
industries recognize this fact and take steps to obtain the
necessary protection in the form of A Safety Hat. Many are the
headaches and lives that have been spared because of the wisdom
shown by these people. Our records show that time and again
employees have avoided serious and sometimes fatal injuries because
they were wearing their Safety Hats.
It seems hardly credible, however, that accidents resulting in
painful head injuries continue to take place because the employees
involved are not wearing Safety Hats. Apparently these people must
believe that they are immune to the obvious dangers to which they
expose themselves. They continue to ignore the lessons learned by
their fellow workers and offer a variety of excuses. Too hot, too
cold, Too heavy and uncomfortable are but a few of them.
Just how uncomfortable is a broken skull in the head,, one might
ask? Better be glad you did, rather than wish you had when it comes
to the question of To wear or Not to wear A Safety Hat.
Hard hats give protection against blows from a combination of
four factors:
a. When an object strikes the hat, the material itself resist
the impact.
b. Because of the hat shapes, the force of the blow is
distributed over its entire area.
c. The suspension acts as a shock absorber .
d. The hat is able to deform (dent) and displace or roll with
the punch, further softening the blow.
The net result is that most blows never reach the head itself,
and those which do reach the head have had a great of their force
or energy dissipated by the hard hat
Ability of an object to withstand impact without breaking
depends to a large extent in its ability to roll with the punch, in
all types of hard hats, the hard shell is held away from direct
contact with the head by some systems of suspension which provides
for space between the shell and the crown straps.
Hard hats should never be worn on top of everyday hats or caps
(with the exception of winter liners made especially for the hat)
since they interfere with or eliminate the shock absorbing effect
of the suspension.
Any Questions ?
SBG Safety Dept.
