Safeguarding the Brains Behind the Build
Fall protection begins at the top with cognitive awareness and innovative PPE.
- By Ryan Barnes
- Jun 30, 2025
Physical strength, grit, and stamina are often considered the most critical assets for industrial workers. However, while muscles lift beams and bodies scale scaffolding, a worker’s brain is the most vital tool on any job site. Without it, decisions can’t be made, risks can’t be assessed, and the daily grind of building America would come to a halt. Yet, every year, thousands of these brains are put at unnecessary risk, often due to outdated or inadequate head protection that fails to address the real dangers of brain injury faced by industrial and construction workers.
Falls, slips, and trips are the leading causes of serious injuries and fatalities in the construction industry. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly one in five workplace deaths in 2022 occurred in construction, with falls, slips, and trips accounting for 38.4 percent of those deaths. Additionally, the construction industry accounted for 47.4 percent of all fatal falls, slips, and trips that year.
Furthermore, these incidents don’t always involve high-rise scaffolding or significant heights. Many fall, slip, and trip-related injuries occur from six feet or less—a reminder that serious injuries can occur at ground level.
Traditional hard hats, the long-time symbol of job site safety, weren’t designed for this type of risk. They were built to shield workers from falling objects, but they do little to protect against lateral impacts or rotational forces, precisely the kinds of injuries associated with falls, slips, and trips. Yet, for more than a century, they’ve remained the default standard across most job sites, with only a harness system to save a worker’s most valuable asset from an injury. It’s startling, and it’s time for a change.
Enter Type II Safety Helmets with Chin Straps
For better protection against the modern realities of construction work, America’s largest general and independent contractors are voluntarily turning to Type II safety helmets. Type II safety helmets offer a technology-forward solution to the shortcomings of traditional hard hats. Unlike Type I helmets, Type II helmets are built with 360-degree head protection—defending not just from dropped objects and top impacts but also from blows to the sides and back of the head–the kinds of injuries that often result from falls, slips, and trip-related incidents.
That’s a critical upgrade, considering that falls often involve angled or rotational impacts—precisely the types of collisions most likely to cause traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). These new safety helmets also incorporate advanced materials that outperform traditional EPS foam, such as welded-tube polymers designed to absorb impact forces more efficiently. These tubes crumple instantly upon impact, drastically reducing the risk of rotational injury by absorbing and distributing force before it reaches the skull.
The evolution of personal protective equipment (PPE) is about saving real lives. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the construction industry has the highest number of both fatal and nonfatal work-related TBIs in U.S. workplaces. From 2003 to 2012, more than 2,000 construction workers died as a result of a TBI, representing 25 percent of all construction fatalities.
More Than Just Fall Protection
Type II helmets on the market today don’t stop at impact and fall protection—that’s only the tip of the iceberg. They come with a suite of thoughtful features designed to improve safety, comfort, style, and usability:
- Full-brim protection: Many workers prefer the familiar look and feel of full-brim helmets, which resemble traditional hard hats. Type II safety helmets are now incorporating full-brim designs with rain-deflecting and sun-shielding benefits, particularly useful for civil jobs like road building and excavation.
- Chin strap systems: Unlike traditional hard hats, which can fly during a fall, Type II helmets often feature adjustable chin straps that keep the helmet secure during a mishap. Some models include magnetic buckles that make fastening easier when wearing work gloves, or a new type that allows users to twist a knob with one hand to tighten or loosen the strap—even when wearing heavy gloves. These systems draw inspiration from climbing and action sports, where a secure fit can mean the difference between life and death.
- Replaceable padding for improved hygiene: Helmet makers are integrating washable pads to enhance comfort and hygiene, which are crucial for long-term wear on demanding job sites, especially for those working in extreme heat.
- Smart safety technology: Some helmets now incorporate near-field communication (NFC) chips, such as those from Twiceme, allowing first responders to access a worker’s emergency information instantly. Workers can simply upload their critical medical information via their smartphone, like allergies, pre-existing medical conditions, emergency contacts, and other information they deem important in an emergency. Then, a first responder simply hovers their cell phone over the Twiceme logo on the helmet, allowing them to extract the worker-uploaded data. This method is significantly safer and more efficient than the outdated practice of taping medical info inside a helmet, which can be risky if a spinal injury is suspected.
Industry-Wide Momentum: Fall Protection Awareness and PPE Changes
Meanwhile, for more than 10 years, OSHA has been shining a light on falls in construction throughNational Safety Stand-Down Week. Through voluntary awareness events, employers can talk with their employees about safety, focusing on fall hazards and reinforcing the importance of fall prevention. Known as “toolbox talks,” these sessions are essential and effective, providing a critical step for organizations to inform employees about available PPE and safety practices designed to reduce the impacts of fall-, slip-, and trip-related injuries.
While OSHA hasn’t yet mandated a switch to Type II helmets, the industry increasingly recognizes the value in offering better head protection for its employees. In 2023,OSHA announced that the agency would replace traditional hard hats with modern safety helmets to provide better protection on inspection sites. The announcement signaled a significant shift in the industry’s perspective and its adoption of enhanced head protection. While official regulations might be slow to catch up, contractors and project owners don’t need to wait—many general contractors on high-profile projects are already making Type II helmets a requirement.
Moving Forward Safely
Construction workers pour their physical energy, expertise, and often their health into building the world around us. The least we can do as an industry is protect their most critical asset: their minds.
Transitioning to Type II helmets isn’t about overhauling tradition for the sake of a trend—it’s about making intelligent, informed decisions and prioritizing human life. It’s about ensuring that after a long, grueling day, every worker can take off their helmet, head home safely, and live fully outside of work.
The future of industrial safety is here, and it’s Type II with chin straps.
References:
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- https://tinyurl.com/3j5pjr7h
- https://tinyurl.com/29m3wudp
This article originally appeared in the June 2025 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.