When it comes to hard hat use, there are some questions that are raised in some people’s minds about what they can do to their hard hat and still maintain it’s working function. To help you in this regard, we will go through some questions related to hard hats.
QUESTION 1: IS IT OK TO WEAR HARD HAT BACKWARD?
It relies on the hat’s model, certification, and how it is made. There are some hats that even you wear them backward, they will still do their job perfectly. If you are wearing a hat in a normal way or in backward, make sure that its suspension is oriented in a way that the brow pad is against the forehead and the nape strap is against the back of your neck. with this setup, any hat you wear will be safe, doesn’t matter in which way you wearing it as long as it allows for that. However, if a hat is not approved for other ways, then you should not wear it in another way. Just stick with the traditional way.
QUESTION 2: WHEN TO REPLACE HARD HAT?
The hats are made with durability, still, these cannot last forever. Recommendations changes for how many times you should replace your hat depending on the hat’s manufacturer. As per MSA V-Gard recommendations, suspension in the hard hat should be replaced in 12 months and the hard hat itself should be replaced every 5 years. While as per Bullard’s recommendations, you should replace the hard hat every two years. It is important to inspect the hard hats for dents, cracks, or other signs that can compromise the helmet. In this case, you must replace it immediately.
QUESTION 3: CAN I WEAR A BALL CAP UNDER MY HARD HAT?
Wearing a ball cap under the hat is not a good idea. If you will wear a ball cap under the hat, then the ball cap’s brim will interfere with the hat’s suspension, which will keep the hat from working as it’s intended to. While there are few hats that you can wear under hard hats such as cotton sunshades and fabric winter liners but ball caps aren’t one of them.
QUESTION 4: CAN I WEAR A BALL CAP BACKWARD UNDER MY HARD HAT?
It can compromise the hard hat’s effectiveness if you turn the ball cap around backward. If you want to wear a hat under your hard hat, then it is best if you avoid ball caps altogether, doesn’t matter in which way you will turn them.
QUESTION 5: CAN I PAINT THE SHELL OF HARD HAT?
There are some reasons that we don’t recommend painting the shell of your hard hat. As per a few hard hat guidelines you should not use paints (if approved by manufacture), solvents chemicals, adhesives, gasoline, or other substances on hard hats. As there are chemicals in paints that can deteriorate the shell of the hard hat. Also, if you paint the shell, then it can cover up cracks that get develop after the paint is applied. Because of this reason, it will not be a good idea to put decals or stickers on your hard hat as well.