MSA Safety, designer, manufacturer and distributor of industry-leading safety products, has published a new head protection whitepaper following an industry panel webinar, which was hosted by MSA and attended by health and safety professionals across the UK.

The webinar panel was made up of key industry figures:

–          Alan Murray, CEO, BSIF

–          Jim Cliff, UK Product Sales Manager (Industrial), MSA Safety

–          Richard Cunningham, Worley

The whitepaper – Are you getting the maximum benefits out of your head protection? – reviews the vital importance of head protection for workers, and covers themes including:

–          The history of head protection

–          Developing head protection

–          Why comfort is “key”

–          Understanding different environments and applications

–          Key legislation to be aware of

–          The benefits of great head protection – going beyond just physical safety

–          Embedding a safety awareness culture

MSA’s Jim Cliff comments: “At MSA we’re passionate about worker safety and better understanding how we can drive safer working practices. That was the purpose of the webinar and this subsequent whitepaper. It explores insights gleaned from industry professionals – all with the aim of encouraging workers to actually wear their safety helmets.”

MSA has a significant pedigree when it comes to head protection with its V-Gard® range having sold more than 100 million units since its introduction. MSA believes that a hard hat is much more than the sum of its parts; more than just its “hard outer shell,” explains Jim.

“Worker safety has and always will be paramount. That’s a given. But we believe that a quality hard hat – one that’s well-balanced, well-ventilated and easily adjustable for a comfortable fit – can unlock so many other associated benefits. It can increase confidence and help to improve a worker’s general wellbeing, both of which can make a workforce more productive and efficient. And crucially, greater comfort and convenience means workers are more likely to keep their hard hats on, which of course helps to increase safety and worksite compliance.”

Even on well-run construction sites, head injuries are still very much a potential risk and being struck on the head by moving, flying or falling objects accounted for 18 deaths a year in the UK from 2014-19 (Health & Safety Executive). This is why any work to better understand why workers may not wear their hard hats – and how this can be addressed – is extremely valuable. MSA’s whitepaper is a must-read for both those responsible for purchasing hard hats and those who wear them for up to eight hours a day, day in, day out.

Read and download MSA’s whitepaper here