OSHA compliance safety and health officers will begin wearing modern safety helmets rather than traditional hard hats.

While traditional hard hats protect the top of a worker’s head, they have minimal side impact protection and also lack chin straps. As a result, the hard hat can fall off a worker’s head if they slip or trip, leaving them unprotected.

On Nov. 22, 2023, OSHA published a Safety and Health Information Bulletin detailing key differences between traditional hard hats and more modern safety helmets, highlighting the advancements in design, materials and other features that better protect a worker’s entire heads. Today’s safety helmets may also offer face shields or goggles to protect against projectiles, dust and chemical splashes. Others offer built-in hearing protection and/or communication systems to enable clear communication in noisy environments.

The agency recommends safety helmets be used by people working in construction and the oil and gas industry; in high-temperature, specialized work and low-risk environments; performing tasks involving electrical work and working from heights; and when required by regulations or industry standards.

"We want employers to make safety and health a core value in their workplaces and are committed to doing the same by leading by example and embracing the evolution of head protection," the agency says.