People who are working in the oil fields of Texas should have the appropriate personal protective equipment. Some of these are optional, and workers may purchase these items themselves. Others, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires employers to provide. One of these is appropriate head gear.
There are specific dangers that oil and gas extraction employees may face, and OSHA has standards for hard hats that ensure that these hazards are mitigated. An oil field worker in particular faces the risk of a head injury due to struck-by, caught-in and caught-between accidents. In fact, for every five deaths in the oil fields, three are caused by one of these accidents. The standard for head protection in oil fields is CFR 1910.135.
According to Graphic Products, Inc., the OSHA standard for hard hats in the oil fields ensures protection from objects falling from above, from fixed objects and from electrical hazards. The American National Standards Institute provides further insight into how the regulations are applied to hard hats. If the helmets the employer provides meets the ANSI 789.1 requirements, then they are OSHA compliant.
A worker can identify whether a hard hat is compliant by looking for the ANSI standard inside the hat. The manufacturer’s name should also be included, as well as the type and class of the helmet. Type I indicates the top of the head is protected, and the class of the helmet, G, E or C, indicates how many volts of electricity the wearer is protected from.
An employer may provide another type of helmet, as long as there is evidence that the worker is receiving the same or better head protection.