Regulation 4 of the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations (1992) and the Construction (Head Protection) Regulations(1989), require that head protection be work in hazardous areas. Under these regulations, employers are required to provide suitable PPE to employees who may be exposed to conditions where their health and safety are at risk.

Industrial head protectors can be either Safety Helmets to protect against falling objects or impact with fixed objects, or light duty Bump Caps which protect against striking fixed obstacles, scalping or entanglement.

In order to select the correct PPE for the job, a process of risk assessment, Job Survey and Product Training will be required. Our Area Managers are on hand to assist you in this process. Feel free to call on their extensive product knowledge and industry experience to help you in your assessments.

The PPE reulations classify products and hazards into three Risk categories, Minimal (category I), Intermediate (category II) and High Risk (category III). All head protection is classified in category II with the exception of situations where there are high temperatures (100^oC or more), molten metal or electrical hazards. These are classified in category III.

The European Directive for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has led to the introduction of European Standard EN397 for Industrial Safety Helmets and EN 812 for Industrial Head Protection (not impact) i.e. bumpcaps.

This standard lays down the specification for Industrial Safety Helmets and includes tests against Shock absorption, Penetration and Lateral Rigidity.

This standard lays down the specification for light use, low risk head protection such as bumpcaps.

Centurion Safety Products design their helmets to have a useful life of up to 3 years. It is recommended that after 3 years, the helmet is discarded, or even destroyed.

Note: Any helmet that has suffered an impact, has deep scratches, or has been cut, should be discarded.

The material used in the manufacture of Safety Helmets is chosen for its shock absorption and impact properties. It can however be sensitive to chemical attack. For this reason it is recommended that helmets are not painted, have stickers or transfers, or be marked with felt pens. Helmets should only be marked with products that have been approved by the manufacturer.