CG Schmidt Wins Daily Reporter 2020 Hard Hat Safety Award

Safety is the most important part of construction. By implementing the right safety procedures, the likelihood of injuries and accidents are greatly reduced. That’s why CG Schmidt made safety helmets mandatory for all our employees in July 2019, and we won’t go back. This year, we are excited to announce that we’ve been chosen as an honoree of the Daily Reporter Hard Hat Safety Awards for successfully rolling out our new safety helmet initiative. This honor is awarded to companies or individuals who have continued their successful work keeping employees and the public safe.

One of the most visible and critical forms of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) on a jobsite is the hardhat, yet it is also one of the least evolved. Many hardhats used today are the same that have been used for decades.

As the design and technology of construction evolve, so should the protective equipment we provide. A traditional hardhat is designed for impact protection at the top of the head and has little effectiveness protecting against impacts to the front, back or sides of the head. A sudden movement, tilt of the head, or fall, typically leads to the hardhat falling off, leaving the worker unprotected.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics stated that brain injuries led to the deaths of at least 992 construction workers from 2011 through 2015. In 2016, there were nearly 400 fall fatalities. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found that 25% of deaths in 2016 resulted from Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs), most of which occurred from a fall. NIOSH has been studying and working on a change for the past five years to help save lives.

The traditional hardhat has evolved, and the transformation is not only keeping our crews safer, but also more comfortable. An addition of the chin strap keeps the safety helmet in place, while also offering additional protection from front, rear and side impacts.

CG Schmidt’s jobsites have become even safer and our employees are better protected due to our new safety helmet initiative. Every CG Schmidt employee on a jobsite – and in the office – received a new safety helmet that took the place of their existing hardhats. CG Schmidt’s in-house Safety Team implemented the process by ordering 300 safety helmets from our supplier, 3M. The helmets were then separated to accommodate the number of employees at each jobsite, and the Safety Team delivered the new safety helmets to each field employee at every jobsite. Every CG Schmidt employee smoothly transitioned from a traditional hardhat to a new safety helmet within a few short days.

Additionally, we now require all our subcontractors to move forward from traditional hardhats and use safety helmets when working on our projects. Our value of caring drives CG Schmidt to continue to be a leader in safety and health with a focus on preventing incidents.

Through research and discussion, CG Schmidt selected the 3M SecureFit Safety Helmet. 3M has a patented pressure diffusion technology that reduces the force on the forehead up to 20% compared to the traditional hardhat, making the new safety helmets more comfortable for daily wear. Furthermore, the new helmets have an eight-year lifespan and 10-year shelf life with a UV indicator on the back. Once the red UV indicator reaches its shelf life, it will turn white, indicating the helmet is no longer safe to use. However, the true comfort comes in knowing that in the event of a fall, your safety helmet will stay on your head and protect against severe injury and death.