The Hard Hat Challenge

Posted on October 19, 2016

The Internet has grown into a great tool for bringing like minded people together and encouraging charitable behaviour. Phenomenons like the Ice Bucket Challenge seem to appear out of nowhere and raise money and awareness for great causes. However from time to time things which are stupid, dangerous, or both can spread quickly through social media. We have seen this recently with the Killer Clowns trend. But there is another which hasn’t quite had the publicity yet, the hard hat challenge.

The hard hat challenge involves a construction worker attempting to flip a hard hat onto his head by launching it into the air from a shovel, or throwing it by hand. Because of the way the hat is weighted, it will normally land on the users head the incorrect way around. This means that the normal outcome of the challenge is being struck on the top of the head or in the face by the hard hat.

Why the hard hat challenge is dangerous.

We have three main problems with the challenge. First off all these challenges are usually taking place on site. Where it is normally a breach of health and safety regulations to remove a hart hat. This also means that when a worker is attempting the challenge their head is left unprotected for a short amount of time.

Secondly the nature of the challenge itself could result in injuries. The hat is designed to be tough. So normally anyone attempting the challenge will come off second best if they were to be hit with the hat. Also from watching some of the videos, you can see that people are “chasing” the hat during attempts and not looking where they are going. Something else which could easily result in injury on a building site.

Finally there is the problem of workers not taking care of their PPE. Many of the challenge attempts result in the hard hat hitting the floor from a height. This could damage the hat itself, and means that the hat is no longer giving the wearer the level of protection required.

While there is nothing wrong with having fun at work, a construction site can be a dangerous place. It is important that workers take care of their PPE, so it gives them proper protection at all times. If you would like more information on how to maintain correct health and safety standards in the workplace, you can contact us here.