STANDARDS FOR HELMETS

Use the SAFETY HELMET correctly!

Wearing a safety helmet is a simple but crucial way to reduce the risk of serious head injuries. The helmet protects against falling objects, bumps and impacts, and in many cases can make the difference between a minor accident and a life-threatening injury.

To provide full protection, it is important that the helmet is properly adjusted, used correctly and replaced if it is damaged or has reached the end of its service life.

Tranemo recommends:

• Use the helmet to complement your protective equipment and make sure it sits firmly on your head.
• Do not use the helmet if it is damaged or dirty. This applies to all components, including shell, visor, adjustment devices or chin strap.
• A wet or damp helmet must be thoroughly dried before use.
• Store the helmet at the correct temperature (5°C - 35°C) when not in use.
• The helmet has a limited service life and must be discarded before its expiry date. Information about the service life can be found on the helmet.

The standard specifies requirements for materials, performance, design, test methods and marking requirements for industrial safety helmets.

Industrial safety helmets are primarily intended to protect the wearer against falling objects that can cause head injuries and skull fractures.

The standard covers two types of helmets:

• Type 1 provides protection against impacts to the top of the helmet (on the crown of the head)
• Type 2 provides protection against impacts both to the top of the helmet and to the sides (on and at the side of the crown of the head)

To be certified in accordance with EN 397, a helmet must meet the requirements for protection against falling objects, resistance to penetration by sharp objects, flame resistance and chin strap performance.
In addition to the mandatory requirements, manufacturers may choose to certify helmets against optional performance requirements. These include protection at low or high temperatures, electrical insulation, resistance to splashes of molten metal, electrostatic properties, enhanced visibility and additional protection against lateral penetration.

This test ensures reliable protection against electric shock up to AC 1000 V or DC 1500 V. The voltage used for this test is 10,000 V. Helmets approved in accordance with EN 50365 must be marked with the triangle symbol and "Electrician class 0" on the inside of the shell.

Helmet approved in accordance with EN 50365:

• Protects against electric shock and dangerous electrical current through the head.
• Protects against alternating voltages of up to 1,000 V (AC) or voltages of up to 1,500 V (DC).
• Must not contain any conductive parts if the helmet is insulating.
• Must not have air vents that could lead to unintentional contact with live parts.
• Must meet the requirements of EN 397.

The standard specifies functional requirements for all kinds of eye protection. The standard deals with general considerations relating to eye protection, such as designation, classification, basic requirements, special requirements and additional requirements, test methods, marking and information to the user.

Eye protection approved in accordance with EN 166:

• Eye protection shall be free from projections, sharp edges or other defects that are likely to cause discomfort or injury during use.
• No parts of the eye protector that are in contact with the wearer may be made of materials known to cause skin irritation.
• Headbands must be at least 10 mm wide over all parts that may come into contact with the wearer’s head.
• Headbands shall be adjustable or self-adjusting.
• Eye protection approved in accordance with EN 166 shall be tested in accordance with:
  • EN 167 Optical test - This includes tests for field of vision, transmission and diffusion as well as refractive properties.
  • EN 168 Mechanical test methods - Robustness and resistance to heat, ignition and corrosion. There are two robustness tests - "minimum robustness" and "increased robustness”
  • EN 170 - Requirements for filters against UV radiation.

ASTM F2178

American standard for testing and classifying face shields and visors against arc flash. The standard is used to determine how well a visor or face shield protects the user from the thermal energy of an electrical arc. The higher the value, the better the protection. The result is stated as ATPV or EBT in cal/cm².

GS-ET-29E, Box test

Test method and certification of face shields. The test results in a pass or fail according to the following settings:

• APC 1 - 168kJ (4kA, 400V)
• APC 2 - 320kJ (7kA, 400V)

The test methods correspond to EN 61482-1-2, Box test but are modified to suit face shields.