Posted By Philip Roberts Alan, I work in the train maintenance industry and we use bump caps without peaks when working under trains because of restricted space and there is a possibility to bump heads on solid trains. We use hard hats when working with cranes and hoists where there is a possiblity of falling objects. PPE needs to be suitable for the task in hand and a risk assessment is required to establish the requirements. I don't think there is any legal requirement other than "Suitable" Regards Phil Roberts

Posted By Peter MacDonald Alan I used these bump caps successfully on a number of specialist jobs. Working within cleanrooms we had a suspended ceiling in which a trough in the ceiling grid was filled with a gel. The work involved working off a zip up scaffold where the operative's shoulders where above the horizontal line of the grid. The restricted space between grid members and need to bend between grid sections meant a hard hat was impractcable. It either fell off or was knocked off. A bump cap was ideal for the job and as there was little risk from overhead hazards within the cleanroom (other than bumping the head off the grid or supporting droprods). I used this successfully in Isreal, France and the Netherlands but not in the UK where usually the paranoid over zealous interpretation of safety law by the safety manager prohibited there use. Peter

Posted By Gavin As always, the starting point is the risk assessment. Beyond that, a CE approved bump cap is acceptable if it addresses the risk, however remember that it is specifically designed to protect against 'bumps', rather than protection against falling objects. Regards Gavin