401 - Head Protection
- The use of company-approved hard hats is required when engaged in or directly exposed to the industrial work environment. Hard hats are not required when cutting grass or performing other outside work where there is no recognized overhead hazard unless specifically required.
- Devices used in the industrial environment, such as radio headphones, shall be designed to accommodate a standard hard hat.
- Welding hoods shall allow for the use of a standard hard hat, or the overhead hazard shall be eliminated to allow for the use of the welding hood without a hard hat and approved by the site safety coordinator.
- Hard hat suspensions shall be installed so the front of the hat faces forward unless the job supervisor approves and the manufacturer has designed the suspension to allow for reversing the suspension. The hard hat suspension should be replaced immediately if a defect, such as cracking, fading, or deformation, is found during daily inspections.
- If your hard hat or its suspension becomes defective, or if hard hat has sustained an impact that could weaken the shell, it shall be replaced immediately. The hard hat inspection method is to compress the shell inward from the sides about 1 in. with both hands and then release the pressure without dropping the shell. The shell should quickly return to its original shape, exhibiting elasticity. If the shell does not exhibit elasticity similar to that of a new shell, appears to be faded, or chalky, or if it cracks due to brittleness, it shall be replaced immediately.
- Only hard hats that meet the ANSI Z89.1,
Class E requirements are approved for head protection in the industrial
environment. The use of special head protection is permitted with approval by
Fleet Safety. Hard hats shall not be altered in any way. Painting or placing
decals on hard hat is prohibited without prior approval of Fleet Safety Cowboy-type
hardhats are not allowed.
NOTE: Adding decals to hard hats at Vogtle 3&4 during construction does not require Fleet Safety approval. - For the hard hat to perform properly, the wearer's hair must not be too long or thick to interfere with the function of the hard hat's suspension of effectively distributing forces from the shell to the wearer's head. Head wear, such as manufacturer's hard hat liners and welder's caps can be worn under a hard hat provided, they fit snuggly. Baseball-type caps are not permitted to be worn under a hard hat because the long, stiff bill inhibits the transfer of forces. The hard hat's shell must be centered above the wearer's head and not tilted in an exaggerated manner to the front, back or side with part of the head directly in contact with the hat shell.