Federal Worker Safety Inspectors to Swap Hard Hats for Helmets

Following a trend in worker safety, OSHA this fall will start issuing inspectors and other field staff safety helmets instead of traditional hard hats.

The decision came following a pilot program involving more than 100 employees, Lee Ann Jillings, head of the agency’s Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management, said Wednesday.

Several large commercial contractors have already transitioned to helmets, including Skanska USA, Clark Construction Group LLC, and Balfour Beatty PLC.

In some cases, contractors with on-site safety mandates to wear helmets required US Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors to don them, instead of their OSHA-issued ...