Evaluating the impact of different hard hats on the peripheral vision of construction workers

Abstract

Construction safety is always an issue for construction workers. Hence, personal protective equipment plays a critical role in avoiding potential hazards on construction sites. Among these, hard hats protect against head contact with falling objects on construction sites. This study aims to examine the effects of hard hats with different peak lengths on the field of view at different angles in the upward part and to examine the effects of possible field of view losses caused by the hard hat on the reaction times of the workers. A questionnaire was designed and administered to the construction workers. Experiments were then conducted with a group of subjects to assess their peripheral vision level as well as reaction times. The study found that peripheral vision is affected by the peak size of hard hats. The study further revealed that there is a significant relationship between reaction times and hard hat peak size.

Keywords:

• peripheral vision
• hard hat
• construction safety

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Atilla Kiral, MD, Ayse Kiral, MD, and Ferit Cakir for their help and continuous support during the execution of the study. This work involved human subjects or animals in its research. Approval of all ethical and experimental procedures and protocols was granted by Gebze Technical University Human Subjects Research Ethical Review Committee with approval number 43633178-050.99.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.