Safety helmets are standard Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) commonly worn in construction sites, or other work environments which pose some hazards to the head. One of the common dangers when working in construction sites is injuries to the head, usually caused by falling objects, or falls from great heights. That is why it is important for workers to wear hard hats to protect their heads from possible fatal injuries.

However, not all hard hats are suitable for you. Recently, Build UK, a leading organisation in the construction industry, has mandated a colour code for these safety helmets. Published in 2016 under the Health & Safety Section of their page, you will find a guide to the helmet colour codes. Read on further to know more about the different colours of safety helmets.

Why is the colour important?

Looking at the hard hats themselves, there seems to be no difference in their features aside from their colour. This is because the colour is designed to identify each worker’s occupation and expertise, to easily assess their qualifications in terms of safety in carrying out operations within the site. Let’s dive more closely into each colour and which sector they represent.

Black helmets

Black helmets are worn by supervisors or foremen. If you have any concerns or are in need of any assistance, be on the lookout for the people wearing these, as they may be able to best deal with your situation.

White helmets

White helmets are worn by site managers, competent operatives, or vehicle marshals. These are quite a variety of expertise, but they are typically worn by people who are particularly skilled in their line of work. While this classification may lead to some confusion, some clues about their clothing may also help you determine which one is which. A site manager, for example, may wear something more formal than the other workers.

Orange helmets

Orange helmets are worn by slinger signallers. Slingers signallers are very crucial when operating lifting machines such as cranes. They direct crane operators using standardised hand signals which guide the operator to safely and efficiently control the crane.

Blue helmets

Blue helmets are worn by anyone on site that do not hold special roles as mentioned above. These can be other personnel or staff that assist or help other workers but cannot be left without any supervision, or these can be ordinary visitors as well.

Additional information

Some hats may have a green or red sticker on them with a white cross in the middle. These may signify other special trained skills for these workers. The red sticker indicates that the personnel is a fire marshall, and the green indicates a first-aider. In addition, red or green hard hats may also signify fire marshals or first-aiders, respectively.