Head protection products such as hard hats and bump caps protect the wearer from head, neck, and spinal injuries.

A hard hat is a type of helmet predominantly used in industrial, construction, electrical, warehouse, and manufacturing workplace environments to protect the wearer from injury due to falling objects, impact with other objects, contact with debris, weather-related conditions, and electric shock. Hard hats feature a hard outer shell and an internal suspension structure to provide shock absorption during an impact and ventilation during normal wear.

Bump caps are lightweight head protection products that use simplified suspension or padding. They protect workers from minor injuries caused by scraping or bumping the head on equipment or structural projections. Unlike hard hats, they are not intended to absorb large impacts.

Firefighting and rescue helmets, electrical arc flash helmets, and welding helmets provide safety components in addition to head protection; these include face shields, goggles, and/or filter lenses required to meet ANSI, OSHA, and/or NFPA standards. Criteria for selecting these types of helmets should be considered carefully.

Other types of head protection products can be worn as standalone protection from hazards other than impacts:

• Cooling and cold-resistant headwear used for protection against extreme heat or cold temperature environments.
• Heat- and fire-resistant headwear made of fire-resistant fabric used in conjunction with welding or firefighting helmets or as standalone protection.
• Chemical-resistant headwear used to protect from splashes in hazmat environments.
• General-purpose, lightweight headwear primarily used for representation or style purposes.

Regulatory compliance details for each type of head protection product can be obtained at the individual product level.