Industrial headgear at DAS Company covers the complete range of professional work head protection — EN 397 certified safety helmets and hard hats for construction, manufacturing and industrial installation work where falling objects, lateral impact and electrical contact hazards require certified head protection; EN 12492 climbing-style helmets for working at height, rope access and rescue operations requiring chin strap retention under fall conditions; and work caps, balaclavas, sweatbands and accessories for thermal protection, sweat management and basic head covering in lower-risk industrial environments. All certified head protection products carry CE marking as Category III PPE under EU Regulation 2016/425, providing the legal compliance basis required for use as workplace head protection in European member states.
DAS Company supplies headgear to electrical contractors, construction companies, industrial facility maintenance teams and site PPE buyers across Europe — providing CE-certified products with documented compliance evidence required by employers' duty-of-care obligations under workplace safety legislation in EU member states.
EN 397 is the European standard that specifies physical and performance requirements, test methods and marking requirements for industrial safety helmets — the certification basis for the standard hard hat worn across construction sites, manufacturing facilities, industrial plants and warehouse operations throughout Europe. Industrial safety helmets are intended primarily to provide protection to the wearer against falling objects and consequential brain injury and skull fracture. Compliance with EN 397 is essential for maintaining workplace safety in Europe — employers are required to provide and enforce the use of EN 397 compliant safety helmets to reduce the risk of head injuries in hazardous work environments under EU workplace safety legislation.
The EN 397 test regime covers six core performance criteria. Shock absorption: the helmet shell and suspension must absorb the energy of a 5kg striker falling 1m — the equivalent of a small tool dropped from typical scaffolding height — without transmitting more than 5kN of force to the wearer's head. Penetration resistance: a 3kg pointed striker dropped from 1m must not contact the headform inside the helmet, preventing penetration injuries from sharp falling objects. Flame resistance: the helmet shell must self-extinguish within 5 seconds after exposure to a 10-second flame, preventing the helmet itself from becoming an additional hazard in fire conditions. Chin strap performance: when fitted, the chin strap must release at a force between 150N and 250N — a deliberate design feature that releases the helmet from the wearer's head under load (preventing strangulation hazard from helmet snagging) while retaining the helmet during normal falling-object impact events. Temperature performance: standard EN 397 helmets must perform at -10°C to +50°C operating temperature; optional markings cover extended ranges (-20°C, -30°C, +150°C molten metal splash). Electrical insulation: optional EN 397 marking covers protection against alternating voltage up to 440V (AC) — the typical residual hazard for accidental contact with low-voltage installations. For full electrical protection up to 1000V AC, additional certification under EN 50365 (electrically insulating helmets for use on low-voltage installations) is required and is specifically relevant to electrician work on live or near-live equipment.
Industrial safety helmet shells are manufactured from two primary plastic materials, each with specific performance characteristics. ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) shells provide higher impact resistance, better high-temperature performance and superior chemical resistance compared to polyethylene — making ABS the preferred material for construction sites, industrial facilities and demanding work environments where falling object impact and elevated ambient temperatures are common. ABS helmets typically carry a 5-year service life from date of manufacture. HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) shells provide adequate impact protection at lower cost than ABS — making HDPE helmets the cost-effective option for lower-risk environments (visitor helmets, warehouse use, light maintenance work) where the working environment does not subject the helmet to severe impact or temperature stress. HDPE helmets typically carry a 3-year service life. For long-term high-intensity use — construction site workers wearing the helmet daily across a 5-year construction project — ABS provides better lifecycle value despite the higher initial cost. For occasional or visitor use, HDPE represents adequate protection at lower total cost.
The internal suspension system of a safety helmet — the harness that holds the shell at the correct distance from the wearer's head and absorbs impact energy by deforming during a fall — determines the helmet's comfort, security and impact performance characteristics. 4-point suspension (four contact points around the head band) is the standard cost-effective suspension for short-duration helmet wearing — visitor passes, site walkrounds, infrequent use. 6-point suspension (six contact points) distributes the helmet weight and impact load across a wider head contact area, providing significantly improved comfort during all-day wearing — the appropriate specification for construction site workers, industrial operators and electricians wearing the helmet continuously through the working shift. Ratchet adjustment (wheel-operated rear adjustment) replaces the older slide-tape adjustment with a more secure, finer-grained head circumference adjustment that can be operated while wearing gloves — important for outdoor and cold-weather work where removing gloves to adjust the helmet is impractical. Premium safety helmets offer integrated sweatbands (replaceable absorbent headbands) that significantly improve all-day wearing comfort in hot conditions and can be replaced when worn rather than discarding the entire helmet.
EN 12492 is a European standard specifically for climbing and work-at-height helmets — distinct from the EN 397 industrial standard, addressing the different hazard profile of work at height where the wearer may fall while wearing the helmet. EN 12492 helmets are characterised by full chin strap retention — unlike EN 397 helmets which release at 150–250N for strangulation protection, EN 12492 helmets retain the helmet on the wearer's head during a fall, ensuring the head protection remains in place during the fall and at impact. This makes EN 12492 helmets the correct specification for tower work, scaffolder, rope access, wind turbine maintenance and construction work where fall protection harnesses are simultaneously worn. EN 12492 helmets typically cover the top, sides and back of the head with extended shell coverage — protecting against lateral and rear impacts that EN 397 helmets are not designed to address. Some helmet models carry dual certification to both EN 397 and EN 12492, providing flexibility for workers whose tasks include both standard ground-level industrial work and periodic work-at-height.
For industrial environments where falling objects are not the primary hazard but where head covering, identification and thermal protection are required, DAS Company supplies a range of non-impact work headgear. Hi-vis baseball caps with reflective trim provide head sun protection and worker identification for outdoor industrial work, civil engineering and traffic management — visibility colours (yellow, orange) compliant with EN ISO 20471 for high-visibility clothing. Bump caps (lightweight protective baseball cap with internal impact-absorbing shell) provide head protection against bumps, scrapes and contact with low ceilings in workshop, warehouse and maintenance environments where EN 397 hard hat protection is not required. Balaclavas and fleece beanie hats in flame-retardant and standard materials provide cold weather head and face protection for outdoor industrial work, construction, civil engineering and cold storage facility operations. Sweatbands (terry cloth headbands worn under safety helmets) absorb perspiration in hot conditions, extending safety helmet comfort and reducing the frequency of helmet sweatband liner replacement.
Industrial workplaces commonly use safety helmet colour to identify worker role and competence — providing immediate visual identification of supervisors, visitors and specialist trades on busy construction sites. While exact colour conventions vary by country and site, common European industrial usage includes: white (site managers, supervisors, engineers, foremen), yellow (general labourers, general construction operatives), blue (electricians, carpenters and other technical trades, sometimes IT/communication contractors), red (firefighters, emergency responders, sometimes safety inspectors), green (safety officers, first aiders, environmental representatives), orange (road workers, slingers/signallers, sometimes lifting operations operatives), and brown (welders, heat workers). DAS Company supplies EN 397 safety helmets in the complete colour range for site identification requirements. For company branding requirements, all standard helmet colours are available with company logo printing service through Ledvance's OEM programme.
Industrial safety helmets accept a range of accessory attachments that extend their protection capability and adapt the helmet to specific work tasks. Mesh visors (steel mesh face protection clipped to helmet) protect against flying debris in forestry, grinding and rough machining work — providing face shield protection without the fogging issues of clear polycarbonate visors. Clear polycarbonate visors (flip-up face shields, EN 166 certified) protect against chemical splash, low-velocity particle impact and grinding spark in electrical, chemical and metalworking applications — combining EN 397 head protection with EN 166 eye and face protection in a single integrated PPE solution. Helmet-mount earmuffs (compatible mounting slot, SNR 26–32 dB) provide hearing protection that clips directly to helmet sides — eliminating the conflict between separate hearing protection headband and safety helmet that occurs when both are worn simultaneously. Headlamp mounting clips attach industrial torches and head torches to the helmet shell — providing hands-free illumination for inspection, electrical panel work and underground/confined space access without the strap-around-head fitment that conflicts with helmet wearing.
For multinational companies with operations in both European and US markets, the difference between EN 397 and ANSI Z89.1 (the equivalent US head protection standard) is operationally relevant. EN 397 helmets and ANSI Z89.1 Type 1 helmets both protect against top-of-head impacts and are broadly equivalent in fundamental safety performance — but each carries its own specific test methodology and labelling requirements that prevent direct cross-acceptance. Helmets certified to both EN 397 and ANSI Z89.1 (dual certification) are available for companies requiring single-SKU procurement across both markets. ANSI Z89.1 Type 2 helmets (lateral impact protection) provide enhanced protection against side impacts beyond the EN 397 baseline — increasingly specified for industries where lateral impact hazards are significant. DAS Company supplies EN 397 certified helmets primarily; dual-certified EN 397 / ANSI Z89.1 helmets are available on request for export and multinational customers.
DAS Company provides competitive B2B pricing for workplace headgear across Europe. Product categories with available pricing include EN 397 standard safety helmets (ABS and HDPE, 4-point and 6-point suspension), EN 397 electrically insulated helmets (440V and 1000V variants), EN 12492 climbing-style work-at-height helmets, dual-certified EN 397 / EN 12492 helmets, hi-vis work caps with reflective trim, bump caps, balaclavas, fleece beanies, sweatbands and safety helmet accessories (visors, helmet earmuffs, headlamp clips). Volume pricing is available for site PPE supply contracts, construction project bulk orders and corporate PPE programmes — typically 25+ units for standard helmets and 100+ units for project-scale bulk orders. Contact our sales team for site PPE quotations and corporate volume pricing.
