Bump Caps

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Chamuit

Grumpy Old Man
Location
Texas
Occupation
Electrician
The company I work for requires hard hats in plant environments, commercial sites and when overhead work is being done on residential projects.
They are now discussing requiring bump caps in attics. I don't like the idea, but then again, I don't like hats or crap touching my head. (Yes, I wear my hard hat.)

Do any of you have that requirement where you work?
If you do, what brands are the most comfortable or well received?

If you don't, why not?

Thanks.
 

Coppersmith

Senior Member
Location
Tampa, FL, USA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
I have banged my head into nails poking through roof decks several times. Each time I wished I was wearing a hard hat. (I wasn't.) Luckily, I always keep my tetanus vaccinations up-to-date.
 

publicgood

Senior Member
Location
WI, USA
I’ve seen bump caps provided at factory visits. Only time I’ve seen - always hard hats otherwise. I liked the bump caps. Better since they have a lower profile.
 

MAC702

Senior Member
Location
Clark County, NV
If you bump you're head twice on a nail. It hurts so much, you won't do it again. At least I haven't.

This. In the HVAC biz, I work in attics everyday. I keep my head down.

The most pain I've ever had for my head in construction areas is BECAUSE of wearing a hard hat and sticking my head into my truck window. My head now being two inches taller, I hit the top of the window with the hard hat and gave myself a severe whiplash. I've done that at least twice.

Wearing a hard hat is GREAT when conditions dictate. Wearing one JUST BECAUSE it's required on one side of a fence is retarded. But insurance companies run the world.
 

Adamjamma

Senior Member
the insurance companies dictate so much within the business world now that there are actually systems in place that cost employees money to work in England... You actually have to pay to have a job... take for instance being an electrician... you must have a safety card that proves you understand how to work safely with electricity and a safety card that proves you understand how safety works on a construction or commercial site, and if you work on railway sites, a safety site card for them stating you understand the hazards of working along railways areas. Then you need rated on your safety cards for using power tools, and ladders and working in holes etc...
You want to use one of those movable hoists to get up and down on because you would be on the ladder too long? It takes a special training and card that needs redone every two years. Need a forklift sometimes? Each style forklift is different training and only good for two years. What about a scissorlift instead? that is different training as well..
This in a country where you can get a license when you are 18 to drive cars and not have to renew it again until you are ninety. You can get a truck driving license and not need to renew it if it was gotten before a certain year... in fact, if you were licensed before a certain year for cars, you can drive trucks and motorcycles with no extra licensing or tests... But if you work, you gotta pay to work...
 

sameguy

Senior Member
Location
New York
Occupation
Master Elec./JW retired
the insurance companies dictate so much within the business world now that there are actually systems in place that cost employees money to work in England... You actually have to pay to have a job... take for instance being an electrician... you must have a safety card that proves you understand how to work safely with electricity and a safety card that proves you understand how safety works on a construction or commercial site, and if you work on railway sites, a safety site card for them stating you understand the hazards of working along railways areas. Then you need rated on your safety cards for using power tools, and ladders and working in holes etc...
You want to use one of those movable hoists to get up and down on because you would be on the ladder too long? It takes a special training and card that needs redone every two years. Need a forklift sometimes? Each style forklift is different training and only good for two years. What about a scissorlift instead? that is different training as well..
This in a country where you can get a license when you are 18 to drive cars and not have to renew it again until you are ninety. You can get a truck driving license and not need to renew it if it was gotten before a certain year... in fact, if you were licensed before a certain year for cars, you can drive trucks and motorcycles with no extra licensing or tests... But if you work, you gotta pay to work...

Joke-
Yes, but you get all that free stuff, health care, low taxes, have a king / queen, parliament, bangers and mash, eh wot govna!
 

Adamjamma

Senior Member
a good bangers and mash is ok, and a good beer based fish and chips cannot be beat... you have no idea just how bad Arthur Treachers is until you have had a british fish and chips..but they can keep their eel pie
 

Cow

Senior Member
Location
Eastern Oregon
Occupation
Electrician
The company I work for requires hard hats in plant environments, commercial sites and when overhead work is being done on residential projects.
They are now discussing requiring bump caps in attics. I don't like the idea, but then again, I don't like hats or crap touching my head. (Yes, I wear my hard hat.)

Do any of you have that requirement where you work?
If you do, what brands are the most comfortable or well received?

If you don't, why not?

Thanks.

No.

I assume it's because we let common sense and our company policies be our guide for safety rather than what an insurance company says "is safest"(i.e. cheapest for them).
 

Chamuit

Grumpy Old Man
Location
Texas
Occupation
Electrician
Thanks for your responses.

I am going to be working in an attic later this week. I am going to use myself for the guinea pig for using them. I'm thinking I'll be saying fu-getaboutthis before too long.

My thought is, if it is that hazardous, they should be wearing hard hats. Besides, you can't get enough speed up to get anything more than a knot on your head.

As for nails, what if you hit one with your arm or leg? Kevlar jump suits for attic work?
 

MAC702

Senior Member
Location
Clark County, NV
A hardhat makes an attic MORE hazardous. You need your headroom, without limiting your visibility. I won't even wear a ballcap in an attic because of visibility issues. An armored beanie cap might be acceptable for those who simply haven't learned to stop raising their head into nails. But it needs to be THIN, or it will cause more problems than it solves.
 

GoldDigger

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Placerville, CA, USA
Occupation
Retired PV System Designer
A hardhat makes an attic MORE hazardous. You need your headroom, without limiting your visibility. I won't even wear a ballcap in an attic because of visibility issues. An armored beanie cap might be acceptable for those who simply haven't learned to stop raising their head into nails. But it needs to be THIN, or it will cause more problems than it solves.
Kevlar, maybe?

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
 

charlie b

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Lockport, IL
Occupation
Retired Electrical Engineer
As a member of an engineering department, we are required to wear hard hats, safety vests, safety glasses, and safety shoes whenever we are at a construction site. But that's it, at least from the professional side.

On a personal side, I have to go into our attic at least twice a year, as that is where we store out-of-season clothing. It's long and narrow, and I have to bend down to make my way through. There are nails protruding right above my head. I haven't hit a nail yet. But it never occurred to me to wear my hard hat during visits to the attic. My concern, based on experience during the pre-commissioning period of a Navy cruiser, is that the brim of the hat obscures my ability to see upwards. So I would frequently bump my head on stuff. True, the bump was less severe because I had the hard hat on, but the bump might not have happened at all if I had seen the obstacle right above my head.

So then, what exactly is a "bump cap"?
 

Chamuit

Grumpy Old Man
Location
Texas
Occupation
Electrician
As a member of an engineering department, . . . if I had seen the obstacle right above my head.

So then, what exactly is a "bump cap"?

A bump cap is an un-certified protection (no ANSI standards) for the head. Hard hats have ANSI standards.

EXAMPLE
 
Hey

Hey

I understand why you wouldn't like to wear a hard-hat, or maybe even any sort of hat. They are clunky, uncomfortable, sometimes make your head sweat and so on.
But my father in law has told me many times a rather good lesson in this.
"Wearing hard hats is same to wearing protection, even if it might not be comfortable, or nice, and restrictive, in the long run you will surely not regret wearing one. Even one small accident and your whole life can change.
Its the same with hard hats, it only takes one time, and you could become a vegetable.
I really suggest you wear one.
 

MAC702

Senior Member
Location
Clark County, NV
If there are no overhead hazards, hardhats can make SOME situations more dangerous. There should be no "thou shalt always..."

Most car accident fatalities are from head injuries. Perhaps all drivers and passengers should wear helmets?
 
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