Hard hat colors have become important more than ever when it comes to safeguarding the safety of employees on the job site especially the vulnerable groups.

Previously, workers were only required to wear hard hats on the job for protection against the risk of falling objects, since OSHA officially established a guideline in 1970 to make hard hat mandatory in all high-risk activities where there is a risk of significant risk of injuries from falling objects and irregular or moving objects.

Although the ultimate goal of a hard hat is to protect users from falling objects, hard hat colors have become important more than ever when it comes to safety.

In this post, I will be sharing the different hard hat colors, their meaning and why they have become important in safety.

What is a Hard Hat?

A hard hat is a safety device that protects the head from falling objects, sparks, debris, and electrical hazards.

What are the Different Hard Hat Colors?

This section is an introduction to the different hard hat colors and what they mean.

There are a number of different hard hat colors that a person may see when they are either on a construction site, oil and gas onshore or offshore project site or any other high-risk industry where there is significant risk of accident. So, here are generally the different hard hat colors and what they mean, although may differ slightly from one organization to the other.

Red – Safety Officers

This color means that the person wearing it is performing work that involves electrical hazards, where there is use of high voltage wires or cables and the like. Red color is also predominately used to identify fire marshals to clearly identify them for effective emergency preparedness and response. Again, red color is used to identify field safety officers, as the color red exemplifies the power of the safety officer to intervene, stop work and command compliance to safety measures at work.

Green – New Employees

Green symbolizes something new and life. Someone wearing this color could be performing non-construction tasks like environmental inspectors or first aiders. Green can also be used by new workers or probationary staff or short service employees to easily identify them as people who are specially at risk of injuries due to their potential lack of  knowledge, training and awareness about workplace hazards and controls.

White – Persons in Authority

White symbolizes high power. White hard hat is often used as an indication of power, authority, and professionalism, as they have historically been given to head of a construction site or someone who is considered to be in charge. They may not always be worn by those in positions of power though, but usually, they are people higher up the hierarchy of command.

Yellow – General

This color indicates that the person is an earth-moving operator or works in or near an area with hazardous materials. Especially on a large project, and earth moving operators must be easily identified and ensured that their safety critical role in reducing workers’ exposure to dynamic hazards related to transport of earth-moving equipment are effectively managed.

Blue – General

This color is generally used for painters, plumbers, tilers and carpenters and general laborer on who are usually involved removing debris, erecting scaffolding, loading and unloading building materials, laying of blocks, bending rebars and constructing form-works.

Orange – General

This color signifies someone who will be working near lifting equipment, such as forklifts, mobile, tower and crawler cranes. These include; lifting operatives, banks-man and riggers. Since they play safety critical role in managing such high-risk lifting operations with significant exposure to mechanical hazards and dropped objects

NB: Yellow, orange and blue are often used interchangeable to serve the same purpose. So the very distinct ones are red, green and white to identify significant roles in safety.

What’s the Significance of Hard Hat Colors in Workplace Safety?

The color of the hard hat determines how much danger a worker is in. For instance, a new employee wearing green is considered at high risk of workplace accident. Similarly, employees wearing red, could be electricians who are exposed to high voltage and are at higher risk of an electric shock.

Again, in an emergency, the color coding helps identify who to call such as police, fire and rescue personnel. For instance, fire marshals and first aiders who are part of emergency response team can easily be identified as persons capable and trained for emergency response.

Also, workers  can easily be identified on site for access control. This ensures that vulnerable groups are always escorted on site whiles restricted access to red zones or areas where there are high risk activities ongoing.

Furthermore, experienced workers are easily able to find new workers who lack experience and would need extra help to control risks or need adequate supervision.

Lastly, organizations are able to implement a more effective short service service program or buddy system that gradually progresses workers through stages of training and awareness until they fully become competent to work on their own without supervision.

How to Choose the Right Hard Hat Colors for Your Job Site

Choosing the right hard hat colors for your project can be tricky. But there are ways of finding the perfect one.

The OSHA provides some guidance on this topic. OSHA recommends that employers establish a standard that matches their company’s needs and industry standards to protect employees from injury or death caused by falls, blows, or electrocution. So it is strictly based on company procedure based on risk assessment.

OSHA has published a “head protection” section on codes and standards on its website. OSHA also provides links to manufacturers who provide codes for head protection gear in their product catalogues.

How to Use Hard Hat Colors as a Visual Tool for Better Communication on the Job Site

The hard hats themselves are made in different colors, to help workers identify who is who on the job site.

Different colored hard hats can be used for various purposes, depending on what’s being communicated.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), “safety colors are used to identify any potential or actual danger”.

It is not “a good idea to use colors arbitrarily” because it could lead to confusion and mistakes that could cost lives.

Hence colors should be used based on the level of risk and the order of severity. However, it important to emphasize that, there is no hard and fast rule. Hence, colors as long as it can be justified by a company’s procedure.

Also read: 60 + HSE Excel Dashboard Templates for Safety Professionals in 2022

Conclusion

So, in case you wondering why the different colors of hard hats at certain workplace, there you have it. We hope you have found this article on the different types of hard hat colors and their meanings helpful! In conclusion, when it comes to hard hats, safety is always a priority. This information can help you choose an appropriate color for your next project.

Also read: The #1 Best Training Matrix Template to Improve Employee Competence

Sel 💫 at SHEQXEL. Connect with Sel 💫 on LinkedIn

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