• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
  • MARKETS & PRODUCTS
    • Markets


      Construction

      Cybersecurity

      Fixed Gas & Flame Detection

      General Industry

      Healthcare

      HVAC-R

      Oil & Gas

      Training

      Utilities

      Products


      Combustion Analysis

      Confined Space

      Connected Work

      Corporate

      Fall Protection

      Fixed Gas & Flame Detection

      Gas Analysis

      General

      Head Protection

      Heat Stress

      Leak Detection

      Portable Gas Detection

      Refrigerant Analysis

      Respiratory Protection

      Column
  • SUBSCRIBE

Differences in Shock, Impact, and Penetration Testing for Hard Hats

2 Min Read | Feb 21, 2022

Reading Time: 2 minutes When choosing a hard hat, it’s important to understand the testing each type of hard hat is subject to in order to provide the highest possible level of protection.

February 21, 2022 by Kimberly Smith

Reading Time: 2 minutes

When choosing a hard hat, it’s important to understand the testing each type of hard hat is subject to in order to provide the highest possible level of protection.

OSHA Standards

In the U.S., according to the Occupational Health & Safety Administration (OSHA) standard number 1926.100(a), employees must be protected by protective helmets when “working in areas where there is a possible danger of head injury from impact, or from falling or flying objects.”[1]

In addition, “the employer must provide each employee with head protection that meets the specifications contained in any of the following consensus standards,” noting American National Standards Institute (ANSI) “American National Standard for Industrial Head Protection.”[2]

ANSI Z89.1-2014 R2019 “describes Types and Classes, testing and performance requirements for protective helmets. These include recommended safety requirements for authorities considering the establishment of regulations or codes concerning the use of protective helmets.”[3]

Download the infographic to share with your team!

Download the Infographic

CSA Group Standards

In Canada, Canadian Standards Association (CSA Group) has established CSA Z94.1-15 (the “Standard”). The Standard defines the areas of the head that are to be protected and includes basic performance requirements for dielectric strength, impact attenuation, penetration resistance, passive retention (stability), shell flammability, and liner ignition resistance.

The Standard includes requirements for and provides guidance on the selection, care, and use of protective headwear. Additionally, tests specified in the Standard set minimum performance requirements for protective headwear.[4]

Hard Hat Performance Requirements

Industrial hard hats are subjected to many types of testing to help ensure the best protection possible is provided for a wide variety of applications. ANSI, CSA Group, and European Standards (EN) each have different shock and impact testing requirements for hard hats.

Download the infographic above to learn more about the shock, impact, and penetration requirements for Type I and Type II Industrial, EN397 Industrial, and EN12492 Mountaineering hard hats.


Sources:

[1] https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.100

[2] https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.100

[3] https://webstore.ansi.org/Standards/ISEA/ANSIISEAZ892014R2019

[4] https://www.csagroup.org/store/product/2700058/

Recommended for You

Construction

What Fall Protection PPE Should Be Considered in Aerial Lifts and Other MEWPs

March 22, 2024
4 Min Read
Construction

OSHA’s Head Protection Safety and Health Information Bulletin: What It Means for PPE Selection

May 28, 2024
4 Min Read
Construction

Understanding the ANSI/ASSP A10.50-2024 Standard: Heat Stress Management in Construction and Demolition Operations

June 19, 2024
5 Min Read
Construction

Infographic: Considerations & Factors For Choosing Head Protection

July 16, 2024
< 1 Minute Read
Share:

Footer

MSA MISSION: That men and women may work in safety and that they, their families, and their communities may live in health throughout the world.

MSASafety.com

  • Construction
  • General Industry
  • Oil & Gas
  • HVAC-R
  • Utilities
  • Fixed Gas & Flame Detection
  • Fire Service
MSA on Facebook   MSA on X   MSA on Instagram   MSA on LinkedIn   MSA on YouTube  

Contact

  • blog@msasafety.com
  • 1-800-672-2222
  • View All Contact Info
  • Subscribe

Other MSA Blogs

  • Fire Service – The Scene
  • FieldServer – The Safety Connection

© 2024 MSA. All rights reserved.

© 2025 MSA . All rights reserved.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT