1. Construction Safety Talks
Hard Facts Some Things To Know Before You Give Your Talk.
About Hard Your crew may give you grief about wearing their hard hats. Here
Hats are some of the common reasons people give for not using hard
hats and things you can say to change their minds:
No. 1
"It's too heavy"
A hard hat (15.5 ounces) is only a few ounces heavier than a cloth
baseball cap!
How This Talk
Applies To My
Crew: "It's too hot"
Not true! Actual measurements have shown that the temperature
under a hard hat is 5 to 10 degrees cooler than outside. Holes
should not be drilled through hard hats.
"It gives me a headache"
Being smashed on the head by something falling two stories will
give you a worse one! There are no medical reasons for
headaches from properly adjusted hard hats. Remember, the
headband wears out before the hardhat; most manufacturers
recommend yearly headband replacement.
"It won't stay on"
Yes, if you're working in a high wind, you'll need a chin strap and a
nape strap if you bend over a lot. A suspension with a ratchet
adjustment mechanism will help under normal conditions.
"It's noisy"
Wrong again! Ear muffs can be mounted to the hard hat in high
noise areas or the hard hat may be worn with ear plugs.
© 2003 Liberty Mutual Group – All Rights Reserved 1

2. Hard Hat Tips:
• Check your hard hat every day! Remember to look for:
- cracks
- a dulling of the color or a chalky appearance
(this may indicate excessive exposure to sunlight or chemicals that may
weaken the shell)
• Don’t paint your hat until you check the manufacturer’s instructions, the paint
may weaken the shell. Better still, buy a hat of the color you want. Hats are now
available with the logo of your favorite football team or NASCAR driver.
• Don't wear the hat backwards. It is tested for impact resistance with the bill
forward. Wearing it backwards may not give you full protection.
• Replace the suspension and the entire hard hat at least as frequently as the
manufacturer recommends.
• Clean your hard hat often so it will be easier to find problems.
• If your hard hat gets hit with something get a new hat immediately! The shell and
suspension will be weakened by the impact.
• Don't put your hard hat on the back window shelf of your vehicle. During a panic
stop, the hat will become a missile and could hit you (or your passenger) on the
head.
Remember, ANSI Requires That Hard Hats:
• Resist an 850 lb force from cracking the shell.
• Prevent penetration of a dropped plumb bob reaching the top of the suspension.
• Resist 2,200 volts passing through a type G hat; 20,000 volts for a type E; no
electrical resistance for a type C hat.
Try This For Show And Tell!
Find an old hard hat that needs to be "retired." Ask the crew to look at it and tell you
why it should be thrown out.
© 2003 Liberty Mutual Group – All Rights Reserved 2

3. Questions You Can Use To Get Them Talking:
• What can you do to make your hard hat fit better?
• Why should you wear your hard hat all the time?
• Has anyone had—or heard of someone who has had—an accident that
happened because they weren't wearing their hard hat?
Attended By:
The illustrations, instructions and principles contained in the material are general in scope and, to the best of our knowledge, current at
the time of publication. No attempt has been made to interpret any referenced codes, standards or regulations. Please refer to the
appropriate code, standard or regulation making authority for interpretation or clarification.
© 2003 Liberty Mutual Group – All Rights Reserved 3