Originally Posted by: Trevor Ross

Having just moved to a new company they wear kask helmets because of the higher risk of impact from the side and they state the kask gives better protection than the standard hard hat.

Are Kask not just another manufacturer?  They produce EN397 helmets like many others. An EN397 helmet produced by Kask is no less a standard stafety helmet than is an EN397 helmet produced by another manufacturer.  I don't understand the apparent premise of the question - that a helmet produced by this manufacturer is something fundamentally different.

Originally Posted by: Zyggy

Trevor, I must admit that I have never heard of this Company, so went onto their website.

From what I saw, the majority look like bump caps which a lot of organisations use when the PPE RA identifies that the peak on a " standard" helmet may pose an additional hazard.

If they meet the EN, then that should suffice, or do Kask claim that this standard is exceeded in some way, thus giving a greater level of protection?

Zyggy,

I think you are mistaken. A bump cap looks like a base ball cap and are covered by a different standard (EN812). Didn't Google it, honest! :-)

These Kask helmets look more like rock climbing helmets or the sort of thing you often see scaffolders use. At the end of the day, EN397 is, to my understanding, simply an impact resistance level meaning that EN397 compliant hardhats come in all shapes and sizes. I know JSP do higher impact rated helmets but these are covered under yet another EN number.

The short peaked style hats are no use for a demolition contractor for example (risk of falling debris requires the hat to have a longer peak) whilst they are great for scaffolders as you get better visibility. It's horses for courses really and if the hat is right for the task, i see no issue.

Originally Posted by: Zyggy

Stern, there are different designs of "bump caps"! Some as you rightly point out look like baseball caps & others like traditional helmets & these are the type I was alluding to!

Indeed, if you go onto the JSP website as mentioned & search for "bump caps" you will see what I mean.

Zyggy,

Every bump cap in the JSP range is a material covered cap. Admittedly some look more like baseball caps than others but i personally wouldn't say any of them look like one of these rocking climbing style helmet (or any other EN397 helmet i've ever come across for that matter) but not to worry.

The main thing is that the Kask helmets the OP is referring to are EN397 hardhats, not EN812 bumpcaps.