Home / PPE & safety / Head protection
1 style we can bring in · PortwestHard hats, helmets and bump caps.
Industrial safety helmets to EN 397 and bump caps to EN 812 — and they are not interchangeable. Tell us which hazard you are protecting against and we quote the right one.
No prices here on purpose. These are the styles we can bring in; what they cost depends on the quantity, the sizes and the standard you need, so we quote against your actual order rather than publishing an average.
A bump cap is not a hard hat
This is the most expensive mistake in the category. EN 397 is the industrial safety helmet standard: it is tested for impact from falling objects and for penetration, and it is what a construction site means by "hard hat". EN 812 is the bump cap standard: it protects a head that walks into a fixed object, in a low-headroom plant room or a warehouse racking aisle. A bump cap will not stop a falling object and must never be issued where one could fall.
Helmets have a shelf life and a service life
Both, and they are different. The shell has a manufacture date moulded into it — usually a clock symbol — and the manufacturer states a maximum life from that date, commonly three to five years for polyethylene, whether or not the helmet has been worn. On top of that, any helmet that has taken a real impact is scrap immediately, however undamaged it looks, and the harness is usually replaced more often than the shell.
Accessories change the certification
Ear defenders, visors and lamp clips are only safe on a helmet the manufacturer has approved them for. Drilling a shell to fit something, or putting a solvent-based sticker on it, can compromise the shell and voids the certificate. If you need a helmet with a visor and defenders, buy it as a tested system.
Head protection: the questions people actually ask
What is the difference between a hard hat and a bump cap?
A hard hat is an industrial safety helmet certified to EN 397 and tested against falling objects and penetration. A bump cap is certified to EN 812 and only protects against walking into a stationary object in low headroom. They look similar and cost very differently, and the substitution is dangerous: a bump cap offers no protection at all from something dropped from height.
How often should hard hats be replaced?
Follow two rules together. The shell has a manufacture date moulded into it and a maximum life from that date set by the manufacturer — commonly three to five years for polyethylene shells, regardless of use. Separately, any helmet that has taken a real impact, or shows crazing, chalking or cracks, is scrap on sight. Harnesses are usually replaced more often than shells.
Can you put a logo on a safety helmet?
Yes, with care. Use the manufacturer's own printing or an approved water-based label, applied where they specify. Solvent-based stickers and solvent markers can attack the shell material and weaken it, and drilling a shell to fix anything voids the certification outright. If the point is identifying trades, colour-coded shells are the safer route.
Are vented hard hats allowed on site?
Vented helmets are certified to EN 397 if they carry the mark, and are much more comfortable in heat. The catch is electrical: a vented shell cannot carry the optional 440V electrical insulation marking, so it is not suitable for work with a live electrical risk. Check what the site specifies before ordering vented.
Do bump caps have any legal standing?
Yes — EN 812 is a real standard and a bump cap is genuine PPE for the hazard it is tested against, which is knocking your head on something fixed. It is simply the wrong PPE for falling objects. Warehouses, plant rooms, vehicle inspection pits and food production are the usual proper uses, and a baseball-style bump cap gets worn where a helmet would be resented.
Who pays for hard hats?
The employer. Head protection is PPE, and an employer cannot charge a worker for PPE provided to meet a statutory duty. Since the PPE at Work amendment took effect in April 2022, that duty covers casual and agency workers too. Replacement after an impact is also the employer's cost — the alternative is somebody keeping a damaged helmet because they do not want to pay for a new one.