Hard hat color codes - photo

[Altair]

Hard hat color codes.




Previously:

Hard hat safety demonstration - GIF
Helmet saves soldier from sniper's bullet - GIF
WWI tanker helmet - photo
U.S. Navy Mark V diving helmet - photo
Motorcycle passenger wearing helmet the wrong way - video

[nova_robotics]

Every site is different. The only real adherence that I've seen is white is always for management. Otherwise it's all up for grabs. Some sites green is for new hires (i.e. the people who are definitely going to cause a safety incident and get hurt), some sites it goes by trade, but most sites it goes by contractor. For example, all KBR employees wear brown hard hats, except management who always wear white.

Also people just bring their own hard hats and wear them. They collect stickers. More stickers = more experience = more respect. Guys are always collecting stickers and try to have ever square inch plastered. I nearly had a mutiny on one job site because home office wanted to give out new hard hats to everybody. That meant they had to wear clean hard hats instead of the ones where they were collecting all their stickers. You want to see a bunch of 40 and 50 year old men regress to the age of a 5 year old and throw a tantrum? Take away their stickers.

[Floradawg]

I don't think pink would fly these days. Rainbow colors, yes.

[Moby Duck]

I once worked on a large site where the hat colour was sort of optional. However the most common colour was yellow and management tended to wear white. To push the system I wore a white hat, but I very quickly found out that if you wanted anything done, or help with anything at all, don’t wear a white hat. When I changed to a yellow hat, people couldn’t do enough for me.

[Toolmaker51]

The sticker thing became an issue. Apparently certain adhesives degrade certain plastics used in hardhats. Started about same time 'expertise' was available at retail, with sticker packs sold online.
If I ever am required to wear head gear again, it'll be my own aluminum Bullard, or fiber full brim.
I do find a bump cap, the very lightest version, useful while working on my own.

[odd one]

I find the requirement to wear a hard hat a little ridiculous in 95% of situations. Back in the day when I was occasionally required to wear one, I always wore the cowboy hat style. My little way of giving the middle finger.

[Toolmaker51]

I find the requirement to wear a hard hat a little ridiculous in 95% of situations. Back in the day when I was occasionally required to wear one, I always wore the cowboy hat style. My little way of giving the middle finger.

That aligns with Mike Rowe's (Dirty Jobs) school of though. His declaration of "Safety Third" emphasizes personal awareness and experience (proactive) outweigh most any written procedure (reactive); those are mainly in place to protect employer insurance premiums from escalating.
We thank affirmative action and undeserved sensitivity for the rest.

[nova_robotics]

I find the requirement to wear a hard hat a little ridiculous in 95% of situations. Back in the day when I was occasionally required to wear one, I always wore the cowboy hat style. My little way of giving the middle finger.

Germany (I believe) has a good model. The employers are required to make PPE available. It is up to the employees if they want to use it.

[Toolmaker51]

From my limited exposure, it appears what powers industry is similar country to country. Differences lie in who does the steering.
Europe for example, far more generous vacation periods, income of CEO's and head officers in check, widespread vocational exposure, continued history of craftsmanship, along with very old companies under same name for many hundreds of years, loads of epic products, and more.

Here? Not so much, some the complete opposite. Capitalism at fault? I think, not all of it.

[mccwho]

Most of the Hard hats I have are Yellow but I was always doing electrical. I also had my dad's old Ohio Bell hat, also yellow, Telecom workers. I never heard of the color code systems until this post.