What Does a White Hard Hat Mean?

Do you know that the hard hats are used as safety accessories at different work places all over the world?Made of fibreglass or rigid plastic design, the hat has protected the heads of many workers. But are you aware of the various colours of these safety gears and what does each colour represent?

What Does a White Hard Hat MeanIn Spite of the fact that the colour of the hat is different for individual workplaces, there are few basic colours which help you acknowledge the role of workers from their hats’ colours. One such colour is white.

Since white is one of the easiest colours to see, this colour is assigned to individuals with higher rankings.  White hats are generally worn by managers present at the site, foremen, engineers or supervisors usually working at different workplaces. These hard hats meet or exceed specific standards and ensure protection for the workers.

Let’s have a deeper look about the colour coding of hard hats, their importance and why is it essential for the above mentioned people to wear hard hats.

What does the different colours of hats signify?

Different colour hats represent various activities at work places, giving each worker their own identity, also, what is the exact role carried out by him. Here’s a list of different colours visible at the work site.

Different Colours of Hard Hats
 Significance
              White     Worn by supervisors, managers at sites or engineers
              Yellow Yellow colour is utilized by general labourers and earthmoving operators.
              Blue Used by carpenters and electricians.
              Green Can be seen on a  safety inspector’s head and newly appointed workers.
              Orange Worn by persons operating lifts or traffic marshals 
              Red Used by Fire Marshals
              Brown People involved in welding or any work related to high heat application.
              Grey Site visitors wear this colour

When should you wear a hard hat?

Most of the people are in doubt whether to wear a hard hat or not? Does your work really require a hard hat? Well for your knowledge, as per 29 CFR1926.100(a) of OSHA guidelines, hard hats are required when there is a possible danger of head injury either from impact, falling or flying objects or from electrical shocks and burns. To make it simple, just look at the three points which will clear all your doubts

Pros and Cons of wearing a hard hat

Before you jump into buying a white hard hat for yourself, let me tell you the pros and cons of wearing a hard hat

Pros:

      • It obviously saves your head against sun, heat, humidity and heavy objects.
      • Hard hats safeguard worker’s heads from electrical shocks or burns and in fact all weather elements.
      • It shields people working outdoors and who are exposed to common injuries like bumps, bruises or cuts.
      • These also protect from side impact.
      • Won’t fall off easier whenever you fall.

Cons:

      • Hard hats fail to provide full protection to your face. They partially protect your neck and ears only.
      • The hats are incapable of tolerating heavy impacts so once gone through any heavy blow or are cracked, you need to replace them.
      • May sometimes feel heavier on the head.

Ways to clean your white hard hat?

It is seen that keeping your hard hats clean extends their lifetime especially of those hats which are always exposed outdoors. However, improper cleaning may ruin these safeguards. Therefore you need to follow these simple yet effective steps to keep your hat clean.

Cleaning the outer shell

1.  First and foremost, keep your hat on a surface that you have just cleaned.

2. Take a small cloth and clean out the debris and dust from the helmet’s surface.

3. Utilize a damp cloth, put some detergent or water with some soap mixed in it and wipe gently.

4. Leave it for a few minutes until the detergent gets into the attached dirt.

5. Take another clean cloth and wipe the hat with clean and warm water.

6. Keep it away from the direct sun for drying.

For cleaning the suspension and sweatband

1. You can clean the suspension in the similar manner as you have cleaned the surface.

2. For the sweatband made usually of cotton or nylon, you can clean it by yourself or in the detersion as these are easily washable.

Can laborers wear white hard hat?

No, laborers cannot wear white hard hats. If we talk about the specificity of the colour of hard hats then yellow coloured hard hats are assigned to the laborers. General workers wear yellow hats indicating that there is no speciality.


Best White Hard Hats available in the market

1. Pyramex Ridgeline Full Brim Hard Hat

Looking for an affordable, comfortable and super effective white hard hat? You can stop your search at Pyramex full brim hard hat. Having ABS construction, the hat is one of the lightest hats you can find in the market.

It’s comfortable as it has got enough cushioning which saves you from headaches and offers you a snug-fitting. It is easily adjustable , thanks to its ratchet suspension( 4-point).

Moreover, it can fit most heads and offers full protection by covering all of your head. The best part is, it comes with Class E electrical rating and is proof tested at 20,000 volts.

Check Price and Reviews on Amazon

2. 3M Hard Hat

This hat comes with all the basic features a hard hat should have and can effectively save your head from all the injuries and various objects. The 3M H-710R is also E rated and can be used by electricians as well.

The hat comes with a low profile and feels less obstructive. Not just this, it offers enough clearance so that there could be proper flow of air. The vents of the hat don’t let the heat inside it.

And yes, it has got a 4 point ratchet suspension system for easy fits.

Check Price and Reviews on Amazon

3. MSA 475369 V-Gard Slotted Hard Hat 

One of the top rated skullguards, the V gard is quite an impressive product.  It has 4 point fas-trac III suspension which allows equal distribution of force on the head. The V design of the hat provides protection and ventilation and it looks super stylish too.

MSA’s Fas-trac suspension technology makes this hat best in both comfort and design. Made of high density polyethylene, the hat is rated ANSI/CSA Type 1, Class E and meets or exceeds the safety standards.

Check Price and Reviews on Amazon

Final Thoughts

Hard hats are a necessity rather than a privilege. These are must so you can work freely without getting injured.

Although with so many options out there it sometimes becomes hard to choose the most appropriate hat which fits your needs.

I hope with all the options that I have mentioned, you are clear with which is the best white hard hat for you.

Stephen Luettgen
I have 12+ years of experience in construction, inspections, handy work, and currently working as a Construction Site Manager. In today’s day we spent a significant part of our time at workplace and a right work gear can have significant impact not only on your safety but also work quality.

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