What do safety helmet colors mean anyway?

The classic picture that comes to mind when thinking about a “hard hat” is the brimmed yellow or red hat. But have you ever stopped to think why there are different colored safety helmets at one site?

There’s more to just the color than meets the eye – each color has a different meaning. This fact may seem commonplace, but in case you need a refresher or didn’t know the difference, we have you covered.

The need for safety helmets

Where there’s a threat of danger on a worksite, you’ll likely see workers wearing a safety helmet. When workers are at risk of being struck by falling objects, bumping their heads on fixed objects, or coming in contact with electrical hazards, OSHA standards require workers to wear a safety helmet. If required, employers are then able to designate safety helmets for their workers.

Construction, for example, is one of the largest industries that require workers to wear a safety helmet on site due to the dangerous nature of their work. That’s because more than 2,200 workers died of a traumatic brain injury from 2003 to 2010, which represents one-quarter of all construction fatalities; most of which were caused by a fall from roofs, ladders, and scaffolds.

Since safety helmets are crucial to protecting workers, contractors, and even supervisors on site, there are different-colored versions to help:

• Identify a person and his responsibility
• Avoid any accidents

Know the color code

So, what color safety helmet should you be wearing? Though workers can be required to wear a safety helmet on-site, there is no official standard in the United States regarding the color code. However, there are some standard colors that many job sites use. The following colors can be used as a guide to help you understand who’s who.

Each site may not follow the same color guide, so if you need to know the color coding, we recommend speaking with your site manager or supervisor to confirm.

Want to learn more about safety helmets? - HexArmor® can help

Color is just the tip of the iceberg in understanding how to choose the right safety helmet for your needs – and we’ve got the answers. To get a better idea of what governing standards there are around the use and style of safety helmets, this blog would be a great starting point.

Plus, not all hard hats – or safety helmets – are created equal. Hard hats are being adapted into the more modern safety helmet that is designed for the ultimate safety head covering, putting an innovative spin on one of the most frequently used forms of PPE.

Up your protection with HexArmor®, and check out our safety helmet series, Ceros®. With innovation and design in mind, we’ve reinvented the protection that saves your best asset: your head. Learn more about our safety helmet technology.

Are you using the right head safety equipment? Let us know if you need help - our Solution Specialists are ready to work with you. Call 1-877-MY ARMOR or send us a message.