Full Brim Hard Hats
Use full brim hard hats if you need heavy duty, comprehensive head protection. These types of hard hats feature a brim that spans the entire circumference of the head, providing coverage to not only the front, but also the sides and rear.
Pyramex makes some full brim hard hats which are quite good. The brand was established in 1991, making it rather young when you compare it to other brands such as MSA, Fibre Metal, and Bullard, whose beginnings go all the way back to the late 19th to early 20th centuries.
Yet that hasn’t stopped Pyramex from being one of the most respected hard hat brands today, and for Pyramex to hold its own against these industry giants is quite impressive.
In fact, one of its models, #HP24111, was the #2 top purchased full brim hard hats on Amazon at the time of this writing. It has been very well received by customers, who have given it nearly a 5/5 star rating.
At first glance there doesn’t seem to be anything too spectacular about it. It’s not even a carbon fiber hard hat but we thought it was worth talking about it on our blog. It is made out of high density polyethylene, which is the usual material used to make most hard hats these days. It doesn’t have an eight point suspension, and not even a six point suspension, which you find in premium models. It just has a four point suspension, which is quite basic (the more points, the better the balance and shock attenuation)
But it does have some neat features that are not found in your average hard hat.
The hard shell features rain troughs on the sides and back. When water hits the hard hat it will be channeled away from your face so you can work safely and efficiently with unimpaired vision. These come quite handy when you are working in inclement weather on a busy job site.
This model also has a lower profile design than most other full brim hard hats, which should make it easier to maneuver around equipment and other structures found on a job site. This design also lowers the helmet’s center of gravity, which allows for better balance but also lowers the amount of torque on the neck and shoulders as you move your head from side to side while working.
And although it was already pointed out that suspension unit is only a basic four point system, Pyramex does make up for this by incorporating a ratchet fit adjuster, which is quite unique because you typically only see this in premium hard hats. Ratchets are preferred by most customers because they make it much easier to adjust the fit of a hard hat than standard pin lock fit adjusters, which work by clamping together two nape straps via a series of holes and pins. Furthermore, the dial-like operation allows for a more precise adjustment than pin lock system, which really helps if you are in between hat sizes.
Universal accessory slots allow you to attach various peripherals such as chin straps, ear muffs, face shields, and head lamps, making this a highly versatile that hard hat that can be used for a wide range of jobs on the work site.
The Pyramex HP24111 full brim hard hat sells for about $13 per unit, which is quite a steal if you consider the nice little extras that you are getting.
There are several colors available, including navy, forest green, orange, red, heather grey, and yellow. The most popular color, however, is black.
MSA Hard Hats
MSA hard hats are the most recognized and trusted brand of hard hats in the world.
The company manufacturers several different models.
If you are simply looking for a well designed, basic hard hat, take a look at the MSA Safety Works Hard Hat, model 818068.
This is a cap style hard hat with front brim. Constructed out of high density polyethylene, the hard shell provides a high level of protection to the user’s head, as this material is almost impossible to shatter or penetrate.
This hard hat is part of MSA’s classic V-Gard series. All V-Gard hard hats feature a molded, embossed V design at the top of the hard shell, which provides extra head protection by attenuating impact, should a falling object strike the wearer’s head.
The hard shell is slotted, so you can attach a number of hard hat accessories, such as face shields, ear muffs, and visors as you need them.
You can find the MSA Safety Works Hard Hat at several online merchants and shopping portals. When you purchase this model, it will usually come stocked with MSA’s Staz On suspension system, which is quite good. The head straps are constructed out of Nylon, so it will be much softer on the head than the plastic suspensions straps that come in most other basic hard hats. Furthermore, the Staz On suspension unit makes it easier to adjust the fit of the hard hat, as it is based a sliding positive locking mechanism. To tighten the fit of the hard hat, just squeeze the nape together and the headband will click into place as it is being tightened. To loosen the fit of the hard hat, just lift the release lever and re-adjust as desired. This can all be done with one hand and without the need to take the hard hat off, which keeps the user’s head protected at all times while on the job. The suspension systems of most other basic hard hats use a pin lock mechanism, which works just like a waist belt, adjusted by inserting the pin(s) found on one end of the belt into the hole(s) found on the opposite end of the belt. These are a bit more cumbersome to adjust as you often need both hands and a good feel to adjust. Many customers find that they have to take off their hard hat and actually look at it to adjust it, which immediately puts them in danger for head injuries if on the work site.
This hard hat is available in a number of different colors, including blue, orange, red, green, purple, tan, grey, and black. Perhaps the most popular colors, however, are white and yellow due to their high visibility. When working in busy, hazardous environments, these two colors are the most likely to get you noticed. Yellow is often the choice for those who work during the day, and white is often the choice for those who work when the sun is down.
If you are interested in purchasing the MSA 818068 Safety Works Hard Hat, you can usually get one for just under $10, which is one of the best deals going.
If you want to check out some of MSA’s advanced hard hats, take a look at the MSA Skullgard Full Brim Hard Hat.
Full Brim Carbon Fiber Hard Hat
It isn’t just the employers who are concerned about their workers safety so are they. Certainly for those who work in industries such as mining or construction then wearing the right sort of clothing is important. Especially if they want to reduce the risk of the chances of them being injured during the course of the day. One crucial piece of clothing that such employees should be supplied with that work in these industries is a full brim carbon fiber hard hat.
This type of hat unlike others comes with a brim that goes right around it rather than just at the front. As a result this will prevent not only the sunlight hitting them in the eyes but also on the ears throughout the day. So of course this is the kind of hat that those who spend a great deal of their time working outside in dangerous locations.
Of course wearing a full brim carbon fiber hard hat isn’t just protecting them from the risk of developing skin cancer it comes with other benefits. The most important of all of these is that the person wearing is protected against any injury being caused to their head should something fall on to them or if they are involved in any sort of accident which results in their head hit a hard surface.
So how does this type of hard hat offer such protection to the wearer?
What you need to remember is that the rigid shell of these hats is such that it is capable of deflecting blows aimed at it. In many cases depending upon the force of the strike aimed at the head of the person wearing it they generally may feel a little dazed but certainly they shouldn’t notice any kind of blood appearing. Also within any full brim carbon fiber hard hat you will find that there is a suspension system installed is what actually sits on your head, so the helmet itself isn’t really in close contact with the skull. The main aim of the system within the hard is to absorb the shock caused when a hard object comes into contact with the hat with any force.
But although most of us see these types of hats as offering protection against articles causing damage to the skull and brain, they can provide protection in other ways. Some of the designs now available have specially insulating materials within them that will prevent a person suffering an electrical shock should they come into contact with wires that are live and exposed. Certainly if you are someone who is working in the construction industry and involved in the wiring of new properties then wearing this style of full brim carbon fiber hard hat is essential.
However although many employers today are required to supply such equipment to their employees to wear. At the end of the day it is up to the person who now has the full brim carbon fiber hard hat to take care of it properly. If they should notice any damage or defects then they must make sure that they report these to their employer immediately.
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