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Wet hard-hat liners and electrical protection

Summary A safety-equipment company asked about a helmet liner. OSHA relayed federal testing that a wet liner worn over the helmet edge removed the electrical insulation of Class A and B helmets. It said the liner belonged under the helmet when dielectric protection was needed and should not reduce crown-impact clearance.
Document
Federal opinion letter
Agency
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Document number
1977-06-14-0
Date issued
June 14, 1977
Status
Active
Status last verified October 10, 2026

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About this page: The full text below is the official document from Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Ezel adds the plain-English summary and tracks the document's status. The official source linked on this page is authoritative for any reliance.

June 14, 1977

Mr. M. L. Stockwell
Sales Manager
American Allsafe Co., Inc.
[Recipient address omitted]
Dear Mr. Stockwell:

This is to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated April 22, 1977.

We feel the information contained therein is beneficial and express our appreciation for your effort in making the information available to us.

From earlier conversations you are aware that Dr. Donald L. Campbell, Safety Equipment Section, Testing and Certification Branch, NIOSH, Morgantown, West Virginia, planned to test the WindGard. His recent communication to us on the results of the tests stated that:

  1. the liner, when wet and worn over the outside edge of the helmet totally negates the insulation properties of both Class A and Class B helmets, and these helmets must then be considered Class C helmets, and

  2. the liner must be worn under the helmet, if dielectric protection is required.

It is also mentioned that the liner must not be worn or stored in such a way as to reduce the apex clearance between the shell and suspension since such a reduction will reduce the level of crown impact protection offered by the helmet. I hope this information will be helpful to you. A copy of your letter dated April 22, 1977, was sent to Dr. Campbell for his information.

Should you have any questions on, this matter, please feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,
John K. Barto,
Chief
Division of Occupational Safety Programming

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