Safety Headwear Requirements

KNOW THE LAWS: Safety Headwear Requirements

a. CSA Standard CAN/CSA’Z94.1’05, Industrial Protective Headwear; or

b. ANSI Standard Z89.1’2003, American National Standard for Industrial Head Protection, for Type II head protection [Sec. 234(1)].

2. Subject to Secs. 235, 236 and 237, if there’s a foreseeable danger of injury to a worker’s head at a work site and the possibility of lateral impact to the head is unlikely, an employer must ensure that the worker wears industrial protective headwear that’s appropriate to the hazard and meets the requirements of the following if the protective headwear was manufactured on or after July 1, 2009:

a. CSA Standard CAN/CSA’Z94.1’05, Industrial Protective Headwear; or

b. ANSI Standard Z89.1’2003, American National Standard for Industrial Head Protection [Sec. 234(2)].

3. Despite Sec. 234, an employer may permit a worker to wear a bump hat at the work site if the danger of injury is limited to the worker’s head striking a stationary object [Sec. 238].

4. Despite Sec. 234, if it’s impractical for a worker to wear industrial protective headwear during a particular work process:

a. the employer must ensure that the worker’s head is protected using an adequate alternative means of protection during the work process; and

b. the worker may conduct the work while the alternative means of protection is in place [Sec. 239(1)].

5. A worker must wear industrial protective headwear if the foreseeable danger of injury to the worker’s head persists immediately after completing the work process referred to in Sec. 239(1) [Sec. 239(2)].

2. Safety headgear must meet the requirements of:

a. CSA Standard CAN/CSA-Z94.1-92, Industrial Protective Headwear;
b. ANSI Standard Z89.1-1986, American National Standard for Personnel Protection: Protective Headwear for Industrial Workers Requirements; or
c. Japanese Industrial Standard JIS T8131-1990, Industrial Safety Helmets, for Class AB or ABE headgear [Sec. 8.11(2)].

3. If a worker may be exposed to an electrical hazard the safety headgear must have an appropriate non-conductive rating [Sec. 8.11(3)].

4. Chin straps or other effective means of retention must be used on safety headgear when workers are climbing or working from a height exceeding 3 m (10 ft), or are exposed to high winds or other conditions that may cause loss of the headgear [Sec. 8.11(4)].

5. Damaged headgear or headgear with missing, mismatched, or modified components must be removed from service [Sec. 8.11(6)].

a. an employer has no obligations under Secs. 6.3(a), 6.3(b)(i) and (ii), and 6.10 as to that equipment, but must ensure that the equipment provided by the worker meets, and is used in accordance with, the requirements of this Part; and

b. the worker must ensure that he or she takes reasonable steps to prevent damage to the equipment and that it:

i. meets and is used in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications and the requirements of this Part;

ii. is immediately repaired or replaced if it’s defective; and

iii. is immediately replaced with clean or decontaminated equipment, if it’s rendered ineffective because of contamination by a hazardous substance [Sec. 6.6].

2. At a workplace that isn’t a construction project site, an employer must provide a worker with protective headwear that’s appropriate for the risk and meets the requirements of CSA Standard Z94.1-05, Industrial Protective Headwear – Performance, Selection, Care and Use or ANSI Z89.1-2003, American National Standard for Industrial Head Protection, if there’s a risk of injury:

a. to the worker’s head, including a significant possibility of lateral impact to the worker’s head; or

b. to the worker from contact with an exposed energized electrical conductor [Sec. 6.10(1)].

3. An employer required to provide a worker with protective headwear must also provide a worker with:

a. a liner for that headwear, if it’s necessary to protect the worker from cold conditions; and

b. a retention system to secure the protective headwear firmly to the worker’s head, if the worker is likely to work in conditions that may cause the headwear to dislodge [Sec. 6.10(2)].

4. Instead of complying with the above, an employer may provide to the worker a bump hat or other protective headwear appropriate for the risk, if the risk of injury to a worker’s head is limited to injury to the worker’s scalp [Sec. 6.10(3)].

5. A worker at a construction project site must wear protective headwear that meets the requirements of CSA Standard Z94.1-05, Industrial Protective Headwear – Performance, Selection, Care and Use or ANSI Standard Z89.1-2003, American National Standard for Industrial Head Protection [Sec. 6.11(1)].

6. A worker is responsible for providing the protective headwear he or she is required to wear under the above and, if necessary, is also responsible for providing:

a. a liner for the headwear to protect the worker from cold conditions; and

b. a retention system to secure the headwear firmly to the worker’s head, where the worker works in conditions that may cause the headwear to dislodge [Sec. 6.11(2)].

2. Safety headgear must meet the requirements of CSA Standard CAN/CSA-Z94.1 “Industrial Protective Headwear” or, in the case of emergency response personnel, the applicable National Fire Protection Association Standard [Sec. 74(2)].

3. Where a worker’s work clothing or skin is likely to be contaminated by hazardous substances, an employer must:

a. provide protective clothing and head cover appropriate to the work and hazard; and

b. ensure that the clothing and head cover are handled and cleaned or disposed of in a manner that prevents worker exposure to hazardous substances [Sec. 64(2)].

a. provide protective clothing and head covers appropriate to the work and hazard; and

b. ensure that protective clothing and head covers are handled and cleaned or disposed of in a manner that will prevent worker exposure to the hazardous substances [Sec. 77(3)].

2. If there’s a risk of injury to the head of a worker, an employer must:

a. ensure that the worker is provided with approved industrial head protection; and

b. require a worker to use it [Sec. 94(1)].

3. If a worker may contact an exposed energized conductor, an employer shall provide, and require the worker to use, approved industrial head protection that is of adequate dielectric strength to protect the worker [Sec. 94(2)].

4. If a worker is required by these regulations to use industrial head protection, an employer must provide the worker with:

a. a suitable liner if it’s necessary to protect the worker from cold conditions; and

b. a retention system to secure the industrial head protection firmly to the worker’s head if the worker’s likely to work in conditions that could cause the head protection to dislodge [Sec. 94(3)].

5. If visibility of a worker is necessary to protect the health and safety of the worker, an employer must ensure that any industrial head protection provided to a worker under these regulations is fluorescent orange or some other high visibility colour [Sec. 94(4)].

6. An employer must not require or permit a worker to use any industrial head protection that:

a. is damaged or structurally modified;

b. has been subjected to severe impact; or

c. has been painted or cleaned with solvents [Sec. 94(5)].

a. the latest version of CSA standard CSA Z94.1, “Industrial Protective Headwear”; orb. the latest version of ANSI standard ANSI Z89.1, “Industrial Head Protection” [Sec. 11].

a. logging site; orb. work site where there’s a potential hazard from falling, flying, or moving objects or from structures and equipment that can come into contact with the head of a worker as a result of the movement of the worker [Sec. 43(1)].

2. An employer must ensure that a worker at a logging site is provided with and wears protective headgear that’s red or fluorescent orange in colour [Sec. 43(2)].

3. An employer must ensure that a worker exposed to electrical hazards is provided with and wears non-conductive protective headgear of sufficient dielectric capacity to protect the worker [Sec. 44(1)].

4. An employer must ensure that a worker exposed to cold wears suitable liners for protective headgear required by these regulations [Sec. 44(2)].

5. An employer must ensure that all protective headgear complies with the Canadian Standards Association Standard CAN/CSA-Z94.1-92, Industrial Protective Headwear, as amended from time to time [Sec. 45].

*Note: The above reflects the current law at the time of publication. The new OHS regulations that are in effect in NWT on June 1, 2015 are expected to take effect later in 2015 in NU.

1. Every worker must wear protective headwear at all times when on a project [Sec. 22(1)].

2. Protective headwear must be a safety hat that:

a. consists of a shell and suspension that’s adequate to protect a person’s head against impact and against flying or falling small objects; and

b. has a shell which can withstand a dielectric strength test at 20,000 volts phase to ground [Sec. 22(2)].

2. Chin straps or other effective means of ensuring retention of safety headgear must be fitted and worn when employees are exposed to high winds or other conditions, which might cause the loss of the headgear [Sec. 45.6].

1. For activities not subject to this standard, a means of protection appropriate to the activity must be used [Sec. 341]. Safety Code for the Construction Industry: Any person on a construction site must wear a certified safety hat in accordance with CSA Standard Z94.1-M 1977 Industrial Protective Headwear [Sec. 2.10.3].

a. provide protective clothing and head cover appropriate to the work and hazard; and

b. ensure that the clothing and head cover is handled and cleaned or disposed of in a manner that will prevent worker exposure to hazardous or offensive substances [Sec. 73(3)].

2. Where there’s a risk of injury to the head of a worker, an employer or contractor must provide approved industrial protective headwear and require a worker to use it [Sec. 91(1)].

3. The following places are deemed to be places where a worker’s exposed to a risk as described above:

a. a mine, mill or smelter;

b. a forestry or sawmilling operation;

c. a construction site;

d. a drilling operation; and

e. an oil or gas servicing operation [Sec. 91(2)].

4. Where a worker may contact an exposed energized electrical conductor, an employer or contractor must provide, and require the worker to use, approved industrial protective headwear that is of adequate dielectric strength to protect the worker. [Sec. 91(3)].

5. Where a worker’s required by these regulations to use industrial protective headwear, an employer or contractor must provide to the worker:

a. a suitable liner where it is necessary to protect the worker from cold conditions; and

b. a retention system to secure the industrial protective headwear firmly to the worker’s head where the worker is likely to work in conditions that may cause the headwear to dislodge [Sec. 91(4)].

6. An employer or contractor must ensure that any industrial protective headwear provided to a worker pursuant to these regulations is fluorescent orange or other high visibility colour where:

a. the worker is working in a forestry or sawmilling operation; or

b. visibility of the worker is necessary to protect the health and safety of the worker [Sec. 91(5)].

7. An employer or contractor must not require or permit a worker to use any industrial protective headwear that:

a. is damaged or structurally modified;

b. has been subjected to severe impact; or

c. has been painted or has been cleaned with solvents [Sec. 91(6)].

2. Safety headwear must be provided to and worn by workers and must:

a. have a non-conductive rating where workers may be exposed to electrical hazards;

b. be blaze orange, red or another high visibility colour or have retro-reflective decaling to make the worker more visible, such as when working around moving equipment, in forestry operations or controlling traffic;

c. meet the requirement of:

i. CSA Standard Z-94.1-05, Industrial Protective Headwear – Performance, Selection, Care and Use;

ii. ANSI Standard Z89.1-2003, Industrial Head Protection; or

iii. other similar standards acceptable to the Director;

d. meet previously published CSA or ANSI standards, remain in service only as long as it’s in good condition and provide effective head protection;

e. have an effective means of headwear retention when the worker is working in conditions that may cause loss of the headwear; and

f. be equipped with winter liners in cold weather [Sec. 1.18].

3. Workers are only allowed to wear a bump cap when the danger of an injury is limited to bumping the head against a stationary object [Sec. 1.19].