A number of designations may be used to classify the protections offered by a hard hat. Standards in North America involve ANSI (American National Standards Institute) and CSA (Canadian Standards Association).
A hard hat may need to protect against:
(1) shock or blow to the head
(2) penetration
(3) fire
(4) temperature extremes
(5) electricity
Shock and Penetration Protection
Type
blow only to top of head (crown)
Type I
blow to top of head and sides (all around)
Type II
Electrical Protection (ANSI Z89.1)
Class
none
C (conductive)
high voltage (proof test 20,000 volts)
E (electrical)
low voltage (proof test 2,200 volts)
G (general)
A hard hat may be color-coded for different worker roles which allows rapid identification at a large job site. The code being used may be specified in a site document. However, there are numerous colors available with different patterns and there may be variation in how these are used and enforced.
Role
Color
supervisor
white
safety
green
fire protection
red
laborer
yellow
welder or high-temperature work
brown
Additional Feature
Designation
preconditioned to higher temperatures (140°F plus/minus 3.6°F)
HT
low temperature
LT
higher visibility
HV
reverse donning
2 curved arrows forming a circle
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