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Wear a hard hat with chin strap

By J. Nigel Ellis, Ph.D., P.E., CSP, CPE

Common to most construction sites in America is that both workers and managers wear Z89.1 compliant hard hats onsite as a symbol of safety, to protect from falling objects and also as a tool deflector. My work involves workers who fall from height and almost always I find that the hard hat comes off in a fall, resulting in severe head injury. Surely, wearing a Type II helmet and/or using an economical chin strap will help save a few lives and reduce injuries, perhaps 22%, if workers are trained effectively and given choices for a solution.

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J. Nigel Ellis is president of Ellis Fall Protection Solutions in Wilmington, DE.

Ph.D., P.E., CSP, CPE (Human Factors)

Specialties: Fall Protection Engineer, Human Factors Engineering and Ergonomics applied to Fall Hazards and Work Methods, Former Fall Equipment Manufacturer, Standards in Fall Protection, Fall Hazard Analysis, Fall Protection Forensic Specialist, Fall Accident Reconstruction, Fall Protection Systems, Methods to reduce fall hazards, Fall Hazard Elimination techniques, Fall Hazard Research, Fall Protection System Testing, Inventor and patent holder in fall protection, Expert in high work fall protection methods and reduction of risk through human factors analysis. Three Point Control and OSHA Alliance Design Solution for climbing using horizontal grab features. Anchor Point design and testing to meet 1910.27(b)(1)(i).