Hazard:
Wearing unapproved head wear beneath your hard hat can prevent your hard hat from protecting you against dropped objects or impacts against overhead objects – as it is designed to do! Expanding the ratchet adjustment of the hard hat liner to accommodate for thick knitted winter “snow” caps or ball caps raises the height of the hard hat and prevents a proper fit. The loose adjustment will cause the hard hat to slide off even when doing basic, routine tasks. The pulling and sliding motions when wearing a hoodie also causes this defect. Wearing these types of garments under the hard hat not only detract from the hard hat’s protective properties, but also nullify compliance with the specification requirements in ANSI Z89 standards and violate OSHA 1026.100 (Head Protection).
Examples of unapproved head wear:
Preventative Measures:
To protect against cold weather conditions there is approved head gear that can be worn beneath hard hats. Liners and caps must maintain the ANSI Z 89 protection requirement of the hard hat.
Examples of approved winter head wear:
Suppliers provide optional head wear for mild to extreme conditions that properly attach to liners and maintain protective properties of the hard hat. Please contact your District Office Purchasing Coordinator who can contact MSA or other vendors for items and pricing.