To maintain your safety at a construction site, you need to among others, put on a hard hat. This is basically a special helmet that is strong and resilient enough to prevent the falling debris from hitting your head and inflicting concussions alongside other irreversible injuries.
These hard hats come in diverse colors, each of which is geared to a specific profession or area of specialty. Plumbers generally put on the yellow hard hat as it is the one that is designated for the profession. This color is also put on by the earth-moving operators and general laborers.
Why plumbers put on the yellow color
Plumbers put on the yellow color as it is the one that fits the profession. The yellow color is designated for the general laborers who lack a specific specialty. Apart from the plumbers, the other examples are earthmovers, operators of heavy machinery, general laborers, and all-purpose technicians.
Is it mandatory for plumbers to wear a hard hat?
YES, it is! The hard hats do confer several benefits that include but are not limited to the following:
1.) Offer protection to the head
The most notable reason why plumbers ought to put on the hard hat is to provide protection to the head.
That is because the materials that make the hat up are strong and able to guard the head against falling objects and debris. In this way, the workers stay away from all possible injuries.
2.) Instill some confidence when working
It is only through wholesome protection that the workers concerned may approach their tasks with the utmost confidence.
Without the hats on, the plumbers may constantly be on the lookout for any impending dangers or issues that may threaten their own survival. Thus, the hats indirectly boost productivity.
3.) Boost the visibility of the workers
As explained, the plumbers put on the yellow hard hats. Yellow is a very conspicuous and readily visible color.
At times, there may be the need to stand out and be readily seen by the others around. Since yellow is a very conspicuous color, those who put it on are also likely to be easily noticed.
4.) Mandatory for insurance compensations
Most insurance companies demand that the workers put on these and many more protective gears to qualify for the workman compensation insurance policy.
Failure to abide by this requirement often leads to the forfeiture of the compensation in the event that the risk eventually arises.
5.) Uniquely identify this cadre of workers
At any given time, there are many workers on the site. Each of these workers handles different tasks. It is important to be able to uniquely identify each worker easily. One way through which this is done is by each cadre of workers putting on a specific color of the hard hat.
What color hard hat plumber should not wear?
There are many other hard hat colors which the plumbers should not wear. Examples of these are:
White
White is a color that is exclusively reserved for the top managers of a typical construction site. These include engineers, architects, managers, and supervisors. If a plumber puts it on, he may be confused for such a professional.
Orange
Orange is reserved for road construction. Also, the lifting operators and the traffic marshals use it extensively.
The reason behind this is the excellent visibility that lets it stand out easily. Plumbers by their natures are reserved and do not demand this level of conspicuousness.
Green
Green is linked with safety. As such, it is put on by the safety workers and inspectors. Given the tranquil nature of the color, new workers who are still on probation may also make do with it.
Plumbers have almost nothing to do with safety and may hence find this color irrelevant to their needs.
Red
Red signifies danger or extreme hazards. For this reason, it is largely famed by the firefighter and the emergency workers.
The job description of the plumbers does not entail any extreme hazards. Thus, the red color is just not what may befit their roles or work.
Grey
Not everyone who goes to a worksite is a worker. Some may just head there to visit, sightsee, or benchmark.
Such persons are administered the gray hard hats to distinguish them from the rest of the workers. As soon as they are spotted, the others easily take note and necessary precautions.
Blue
Blue is dedicated to the electricians and the medical workers. The general reason behind this is the tranquil nature of this color in totality.
A plumber does not need that much peace. Rather, the task he performs entails some rigor hence no need to put on the blue color.
Brown
Brown distinguishes the workers whose job descriptions entail the use of high heat. The common examples of these cadres of employees are those engaged in welding. Since plumbers scarcely use the high heat, they have no use for the brown colors.
Pink
Pink hard hats are used to penalize errant workers. In most cases, it is administered to the workers concerned until such a time that a change of heart is realized. The same goes for a situation in which a worker misplaces his own hard hat.
Best hard hat for plumbers
We now list some of the best hard hats for plumbers:
Conclusion
Just to reiterate an earlier point, these hard hats play a critical role in enhancing the safety of the onsite workers. You hence have to make every effort to similarly acquire and incorporate them in your construction sites. Be sure to emphasize the yellow color if you are a plumber.
As is the norm with any other piece of construction gear, these items too have to be taken good care of. This ought to include among others, regular cleaning, proper fixtures, and upgrades as well as frequent fixtures. Be sure also to fit your hard hat as tightly on your head as possible to minimize fidgeting.