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Hard Hats

Need help? Need help? Learn more about the right head protection for you UK’s Best Range of Hard Hats & Bump Caps - Fast Delivery | Seton

With Hard Hats, accessories and clip-on ear defenders from industry leading manufacturers like JSP and Delta, Seton offers a range of quality head protection - perfect for heavy industrial environments. Meet Build UK standards and differentiate on-site personnel with yellow, black, blue, white and orange helmets using slip or wheel ratchet strap adjusters for secure wearability.

Meeting Health and Safety at Work Regulations, you’re granted peace of mind that on-site staff, contractors and visitors are protected, with in-stock apparel delivered the next working day.

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Buying The Right Head Protection

Hard hats and other PPE

At Seton we supply a variety of safety helmets and hard hats designed for wearing on heavy industrial sites, plus bump caps for home renovations and minor construction work.
Depending on the environment or even time of year, you may need to wear either vented or non-vented head protection. With vented industrial headgear, the open frame design prevents heat buildup around the head, allowing air to circulate and keep employees cool during summer months. The non-vented hard hat is made to retain heat, and keep the head warm in colder conditions.

A number of the hard hats available are also designed to fit accessories such as ear defenders from top manufacturers such as JSP and Delta Plus, ideal for comfortably working in noisy environments.
Protect the face plus the head with our range of attachable face shields. A face shield or visor will help keep your field of view free of dust, debris and prevent harmful liquids hitting your face or eyes.
You may also require a helmet with a shorter peak or brim for increased upward visibility especially when working on scaffolding. A hard helmet with short peak complies with the same safety code as regular helmets and are available as part of the trusted Seaton product range.

A safety helmet can also be securely fitted for comfort with wheel ratchet and slip ratchets. The ratchet is located inside the helmet and intended to hug the head of the wearer, preventing the helmet from being knocked off and protecting the head during trips or falls. We also supply protective headwear in a variety of colours such as black, blue, yellow, orange and white; these colours can help easily identify employees, contractors, site managers and visitors in line with Build UK guidelines.

To provide complete protection for the whole body, you may need to use hard hats in conjunction with other protective gear. Provide protection from airborne particles using dust masks, and prevent damage to workers’ own clothing with coveralls, shirts or other items from our protective clothing product range.

Hard hats and UK legislation

All workplaces are required by law to protect their workers from hazards and this is particularly true in the demanding construction and manufacturing industries. Understanding the laws that need to be followed to keep your workers safe from accidents and injuries can often prove difficult, but at Seton, we aim to make the process easier. We check all of our products to ensure they are up to code with relevant EU and UK safety legislation, plus we will always be happy to provide advice on the best products for your workplace. While hazards may be best avoided, in some industries it is necessary to work in hazardous environments. In these circumstances, providing personal protective equipment, including hard hats, as standard is a straightforward measure you can take to lower the risk of injury to your employees.

What is a British Standard BS EN 397 hard hat?

When selecting the right hard helmet for your work site, it is important to stay up to date with the latest health and safety rating and regulations. In the majority of cases and worksites, suitable head protection must conform to the British Standard BS EN 397:1995, or equivalent.
EN 397 is the standard specification for industrial safety helmets, which ensures the head does not receive the full force, pressure or weight of any impact. BS EN 397 safety headgear is also required in work such as forestry or tree surgery where chainsaw personal protective equipment is required.

Legally, employers must provide protective headgear to employees and ensure they are worn on sites when there is a risk of injury. It is important to ensure that all self-employed contractors are aware of the need to wear PPE and safety helmets when they are at your work site.

The EN 397 Regulation also ensures that your safety helmet is designed and built to protect workers from falling objects. Safety helmets are required to meet certain criteria regarding shock absorption, temperature resistance, lateral deformation and penetration resistance. For more information on EN 397’s legal requirements, the HSE explains the details of these requirements in its Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations.

Hard hats and protective headwear that complies with this legislation have been thoroughly tested to withstand impacts and protect the wearer’s skull. Many of Seton’s construction helmets and hard hats actually exceed the EN 397 safety code.

In demanding environments, blows to the head may not always be avoidable, but with the use of hard hats, the long term or even fatal consequences can generally be avoided. The safety headwear in stock at Seton offers comfort and protection, giving you, your workforce and their families peace of mind. If your work doesn’t warrant this level of cranial protection, you may benefit more from a bump cap made by safety headgear product experts like JSP and Delta Plus.

What is the difference between a hard hat and a bump cap?

While a hard hat is bulkier and suited to worksites with high exposure to industrial and mechanical equipment, a bump cap is a lightweight piece of headgear designed for comfort and convenience while still providing protection. A bump cap is similar in design to a baseball cap, with a peak shield to protect from sunlight, plus some form of plastic insert to absorb the shock of smaller impact bumps and scratches.

You should only use a bump cap instead of a safety helmet in an environment with a significantly lower risk of injury and confined spaces. Bump caps are typically vented and lightweight, making them ideal for low-maintenance outdoor work and household maintenance such as roof work or small renovations.

We have compiled the below table for you to easily compare key details of these two types of safety headgear, and determine which is best for your requirements:

Product Specification Hard Hat Bump Cap
Image Blue Hard Hat Grey Bump Cap
Ideal for use in
  • Construction
  • Engineering
  • Industrial work
  • Operating heavy machinery
  • Confined spaces
  • Mechanic works (under cars etc)
  • Food processing
  • Assembly lines
Fit
  • Plastic shell protrudes off head
  • Inner straps adhere to head
  • Adjustable with wheel or slip ratchet
  • Wide brim cap
  • Adheres to the head
  • Easy to adjust with strap
British Safety Standard BS EN 397 rating BS EN 812 rating
Price £3.50+ to £65+ £9+ to £20+

Hard Hat Accessories and Customisation

Hard hats come in a variety of styles, shapes and colours to ensure that your employees are protected, regardless of the unique needs of the worksite. A number of these product variations and accessories include:

  • A visor protects your field of view; and chin guards offer protection from projectiles or debris flying upwards
  • Ratchet adjustments allow for safety glasses to comfortably fit under the helmet visor
  • Additional safety lights can be attached to the helmet for increased visibility
  • Shock and heat-resistant materials for adverse working conditions or working at heights
  • Options to attach ear protection, ear defenders and helmet lamps to your headgear for a variety of working conditions
  • Hard hats with an extruding visor or bill to increase visibility when looking up
  • Bright colours and high-vis fluorescent strips to increase visibility during all times of the day and night
  • Venting around the helmet to increase comfort in hot working conditions

These are just a few of the accessories to compare and look at when selecting construction hats, builders’ hats and safety helmets of all kinds. It is important to properly reflect on the individual needs of the worksite, plus the workers’ various roles when selecting a helmet with specific safety requirements.

Head injuries in the workplace

In a number of workplaces, including construction and manufacturing industries, high-quality head protection is vital to prevent injuries that could prove life changing or even fatal. In the UK construction industry, approximately 3% of workers suffer a work-related injury, of which 11% are from being struck by an object. These statistics are not totally reliable, however, as an estimated 66,000 further injuries go unreported annually.

Hard hats have a long established reputation for providing secure protection for the head. In the product range at Seton, you will find a number of options, meaning you can compare details and opt for the protective headwear that best suits your site.

Ensuring hard hats are comfortable

When working in a challenging environment, safety helmets may need to be worn for long periods of time. As well as providing safety, hard hats need to be comfortable. The safety hats in the product range at Seton have an adjustable ratchet, so they can be adjusted to suit the comfort level of the individual wearer, and prevent the slippage that could reduce the hard hat’s effectiveness. Good ventilation keeps the head at a comfortable temperature throughout the working day, while a non-vented helmet will help retain heat in colder climates. A safety helmet is useful in windy conditions or when on-site workers are moving around thanks to the under-chin harness fitting the headwear more securely than a standard helmet.

FAQs

How should a hard hat fit?

You should ensure that your work helmet fits properly after any needed adjustments. The hard hat should fit snugly plus remain in place regardless of whether the wearer is looking up, down or is in motion. Ideally, the hard hat will allow for space in between the wearer’s head and the shell of the hat – most models can be manually adjusted via a wheel or slip ratchet to ensure the perfect fit. It is important that the headgear is orientated properly and that the cap is not worn at an incorrect angle, as this will reduce the hard hat’s efficacy.

How often should hard hats be replaced?

People who routinely work within construction and industrial sites will often ask how long a hard hat lasts. This will largely depend on the amount of wear or damage that is sustained by the outer cap.
If your safety helmet is showing any signs of cracking, dents or serious damage, you should replace it right away. However, a good rule of thumb otherwise is that safety helmets should be replaced roughly every two to five years. This, again, depends on the level of use that your helmet has endured and the general wear to the shell or even the inner straps.

How can I maintain my hard hat?

It is important to maintain your safety helmet and keep it in good condition – a few easy maintenance steps can go a long way to promoting worker safety and wellbeing. Checking your hard hat regularly for details like dents, cracks, punctures or damage is key. Hard hats and safety helmets should be cleaned using warm, soapy water rather than abrasives or solvents.
By maintaining your hard hat, you keep it up to code with the latest regulations, and keep up with on-site safety standards that protect yourself and others.

What are Hard Hats made of?

The shell on most hard hats is made out of a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) due to the high impact resistance and lightweight design for long-term wear. Some industrial helmets are also made using a material called Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) which has a good impact and chemical resistance, great for industrial environments.

The inner straps are typically made from a combination of plastic framing and straps such as terylene for ease-of-wear and protection.

What do different hard hat colours mean?

In an effort to help identify on-site personnel easily, Build UK have mandated hard hat colour codes (Effective January 2017, to be reviewed in 2023).
This colour code is designed to be the standard within any construction site where safety headgear is required.

We’ve put together the below table to compare and show which colour is applicable to the individual roles on your worksite:

Image Colour Role
White Hard Hat White Site Manager
Competent Operative
Vehicle Marshal*
*distinguished by the wearing of a different coloured high-vis vest
Black Hard Hat Black Supervisor
Orange Hard Hat Orange Slinger/Signaller
Blue Hard Hat Blue All on site not undertaking one of the other roles