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Toolbox Talks

Wear the hard hat the way it was built

Wear the hard hat the way it was built

PPE 5 min 29 CFR 1926.100

Why it matters

A board, a fitting, or a tool can drop from the deck above. You can stand up into a low beam. A hard hat only takes that hit if the shell and the straps inside are sound, and if you wear the brim the way the hat was built.

The talk

Someone is working on the deck above you. A short piece of material, a clamp, or a hammer can come off that edge. You duck under a scaffold frame and stand up into a joist. You pass an open panel, and a brush against a live part can put a shock through your head. Those are the times a hard hat is on your head. Something can fall on you. You can strike your head. You could take an electrical shock to the head. The hat on the dashboard does none of that. Put it on before you walk under the work.

Wear the brim the way the hat was built. Do not turn it backward unless the manufacturer says that model can be worn that way. Do not drill holes in the shell for a pencil or a light. Do not paint the shell. Paint and holes hide cracks, and they can weaken the hat. Look at the shell in the light. A deep gouge, a crack, or a flat spot from a hit means it is done. Check the suspension, the straps inside. If they are torn, stretched, or missing clips, the shell is only a bowl and the hit goes to your skull. If the hat took a hard hit, replace it even when you cannot see a crack. The damage can sit inside the shell.

Before we start today, put the hat on and feel the straps. The shell should not sit loose on your head with the suspension slack. Check the shell for cracks. Check that the brim faces the way this model was built. If you dropped the hat off a lift, or something heavy landed on it, get another hat. Do not keep it because you are in a hurry and you see no crack. If you need a light, use a clip made for the hat. Do not drill the shell. If your hat lives on the truck seat, it is not helping you until it is on your head under the work.

Key points

  1. Wear a hard hat where something can fall, where you can strike your head, or where you could take a shock to the head.
  2. Wear the brim the way the hat was built.
  3. Do not drill the shell or paint it.
  4. Do not wear it backward unless the manufacturer says that model can.
  5. Check the shell and the suspension inside.
  6. Replace the hat after a hard hit even if you see no crack.
  7. A hat on the truck seat is not protecting you.

Do this

  • Put the hat on before you walk under the work.
  • Wear the brim the way that model was built.
  • Check the shell and the straps inside.
  • Replace the hat after a hard hit.
  • Use a clip made for the hat if you need a light.

Do not do this

  • Do not drill holes in the shell.
  • Do not paint the shell.
  • Do not wear the hat backward unless the manufacturer says that model can.
  • Do not keep a hat after a hard hit just because you see no crack.
  • Do not wear a hat with a torn or missing suspension.

Talk about it

  1. Where on this site can something fall on us, or can we strike our heads, today?
  2. Which hats have a cracked shell, a bad suspension, or a hard hit we already know about?
  3. Is anyone wearing a hat backward, and did the manufacturer say that model can be worn that way?

This is a short crew briefing. It does not replace a competent person, training, or the law.

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