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Don’t Forget To Wear Your Hard Hat And, wear it right, chin strap fastened, ear flaps down, visor snugly fit, in place and strapped on. This is no pre-flight equipment check — it’s a hockey player’s helmet check list. A well fitted helmet, properly fastened is the safest head protection. Loose is not going to do the job. The hard hat in the work force must withstand the impact of falling objects. The weight of these objects increase on impact as they descend. Workers take hard hats for granted till they're hit on the head by a falling wrench. Good lunch buckets hard hats aren’t. The force of two bodies of equal weight, around 175 pounds each, moving at on ice speeds of 30 miles an hour, colliding head first into an immovable ungiving barrier chalks up to a mighty heavy wrench. Hockey hard hats undergo certification from three standard marks, CSA, the HECC and CE; these are certified by a consensus of government, consumer and hockey representation. Every time a helmet manufacturer comes up with a new design, it must be re-certified. A certification is equivalent to a Consumer Product Safety seal of approval. Helmets aren't marketable without certifications. Remember warning labels make no claims to keeping you injury free. Indestructible armor hard hats aren’t. Who’s wearing a hard hat? Football players, hockey players, soccer players, skiers, equestrian riders, bicyclists, motor-cyclist, in-liners, skate-boarders, and even multi-users for non-specific helmet use. Hard Hat usage is up. Even golf is a contact sport. In a recent survey presented in the Journal of Sport Rehabilitation, "47.6% of 368 amateur golfers reported being struck by a golf ball; 23% were direct shots to the head or neck." USA Today reported "150,000 concussions nationally in high school football alone in 1999." Bell, the leading manufacturer of bicycle helmets, also makes helmets for auto racing and motorcycling. Their head gear is meant to protect and look good. Attractiveness sells, often superseding safety— what’s flattering counts before lining density. In 1995, CSA technicians conducted impact tests on NHL head gear that tested three- eighthes-inch lining and five-eighthes-inch lining at 3.96 meters per second to replicate body force. The three-eighthes-inch lining transferred more than 400 G’s to a transducer inside the helmet, while the five-eighthes- inch lining transferred only 133 G’s. The acceptable level is 275 G’s or below. Durability fades with use . Foam lining breaks down and is as perishable as any item of clothing that is penetrated by friction and body heat. How long do a pair of cross trainers last before they're broken down by body weight, sweat and use? So, wear your hard hat snug and replace it when you’ve worn down its protective capabilities, especially if you’re playing at a high contact, competitive level. Vanity aside, on the ice let all your skills do the impressing.
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