What do the colors of construction helmets mean?

In films, news broadcasts, you can often see people in helmets of different colors walking on construction sites. And this is not an artistic convention - the same can be seen in real construction. It's time to find out what the colors of construction helmets mean.

It should be pointed out right away that there is no "fashion" and "personal taste" here. The assumption that "what is in the warehouse is what is given" is also meaningless. GOST 12.4.087-84 established 4 acceptable colors for construction helmets. They can be red, white, orange and yellow. However, this standard has been canceled, and in the newer provisions - 1999 and 2010, nothing is said about the colors of personal protective equipment.

But this does not mean that "the process has been left to chance." Professional construction is a very conservative area, and color coding of personnel there is still strictly practiced there. Moreover, this practice is justified by quite weighty considerations. Even GOST 1984 prescribed the wearing of white helmets for managers. Today, in addition to the heads of firms and sections, labor safety inspectors, security guards and watchmen, and in some cases also engineers, fall into this category.

An orange construction helmet is a characteristic feature of ordinary employees and service, support personnel. However, such a headdress is sometimes worn not only by construction workers, but also by surveyors who measure something at the facility. A yellow helmet is a 100% sign that its owner is only following the orders of the management.

Now, in the absence of standards, each firm has the right to establish its own procedures even for individual structural divisions and branches. That is why today the color of the helmet does not always allow a stranger to confidently distinguish the difference in positions. On the other hand, construction workers themselves can easily recognize other people by the color of their headgear. This is especially important:

• over long distances;

• with a significant difference in height;

• at night and in bad weather.

Typically, color standards are not just announced by order of the company, but approved in its special standard developed by the industrial safety department. The black helmet is usually the preserve of the locksmith. Blue hats are predominantly worn by plumbers. But if an electrician comes to a construction site, he will most often be given green PPE. The Cherepovets Coke Plant requires ordinary employees to wear orange protective gear.

But if strangers come there, they will be given a yellow helmet. For comparison: at Norilsk Nickel employees with less than 36 months of service are required to wear red hats. This significantly increases the visibility. When a high-rise crane is working on a construction site, the operator uses a blue guard.

Here are some more facts:

• yellow and orange colors are interchangeable;

• a white helmet can be worn by an environmental protection officer, an employee of construction or technical supervision;

• green helmets are often worn by security guards;

• the electrician installing the wiring for the immediate delivery of the object can be in a yellow or "reddish" helmet;

• custom-designed red helmets (without visors) are a common feature of high-altitude and industrial climbers;

• customers and their representatives are given a white helmet;

• architects often wear a black headdress, but their very appearance is rare.

An overview of the construction helmet "Europe" in the video below.