Virginia Tech unveils inaugural safety ratings for construction helmets

BLACKSBURG, Va. (WFXR) – The Virginia Tech Helmet Lab has released ratings for construction helmets for the first time, making its ratings the first non-sports helmets to be researched in the lab.

According to officials, the ratings

were released on September 22nd. The ratings are developed by analyzing information from falls in worksite environments.

Reports indicate that in 2023, one in five workplace deaths occurred in the construction industry. Across all industries, construction accounted for 47% of all fatal falls, slips, and trips, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The lab tests both Type I helmets and Type II helmets, which include interior energy-absorbing materials. The results show that shifting to Type II helmets, on average, will reduce the risk of fall-related concussions by 34% and the risk of skull fractures by 65%. The lab’s top-rated helmets are shown to have risk reductions of 48% and 77%, respectively.

“Our findings show that choosing a Type II helmet can save lives,” said Steve Rowson, the lab’s director. “The difference in protection during a fall is dramatic.”

Scott Greenhaus received a wake-up call about headgear after the 2018 collapse of a pedestrian bridge in Miami, Florida. The 40-plus-year veteran of the construction industry was working with his team to install a post-tensioning system when the bridge collapsed. Reportedly, it killed five motorists and one team member and left the job’s superintendent with a traumatic brain injury.

“When we got to the site, we noticed their hard hats were all lying on the ground where the structure came to rest,” said Greenhaus, co-founder of the advocacy group Hats to Helmets. “So we looked into it and said, ‘Wow, we’ve got to change the way we do business from here.'”

Seven years later, Greenhaus says he believes the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab is providing key support to that change with the development of the first rating system for safety helmets.

According to officials, the Helmet Lab focused on “severe but survivable” job-site falls and conducted laboratory tests to evaluate concussion and skull fracture risk, starting in summer 2024, by translating falls from heights of 14 and 25 feet.

The research team then used the lab’s Summation of Tests for the Analysis of Risk (STAR) framework to combine data and compute an overall performance score for nine Type I and seven Type II helmets. 

“To have something independent [of industry ties] to discuss the science behind what’s being done with helmets, we really haven’t had that before,” said Greenhaus, now a senior advisor with the company Structural Group. “It will give us another arrow in our quiver to make the case for the transition to construction helmets.”

Officials say safety helmets are now the 10th area for which the lab has developed helmet ratings, and it is the first non-sports helmet rating. Other industry safety advocates believe the system will empower leaders to make equipment decisions more easily.

Greenhaus said he believes the rating system will have a ripple effect for individual companies and the industry as a whole.

“It will certainly, I think, lead to better quality helmets, which means safer helmets,” Greenhaus said. “And I think it will help people who are on the fence with their buying decisions. It’s difficult to make those buying decisions, and we don’t want them to just buy on price alone, because that’s not always the best solution.”

According to reports, a joint commitment of funding and guidance from the John R. Gentille Foundation, ELECTRI International, the American Society of Concrete Contractors, and the Association of Union Constructors has propelled this work forward. As part of the collaboration, Rowson visited various groups and companies to discuss Virginia Tech’s research in this area and the fundamental differences between helmets. 

“These ratings are incredibly important,” said Alex Kopp, director of environmental health and safety for the Association of Union Constructors. “Virginia Tech brings the research expertise necessary to evaluate helmets from multiple manufacturers objectively. Many contractors are weighing whether to switch helmet styles or brands — or whether a switch is needed at all. These independent ratings will give them the data they need to make informed choices that prioritize worker protection.”

Rowson emphasized the importance of helmets fitting properly and users wearing the chin strap to keep the helmets in place during a fall, along with the ratings. He said the program will continue to update its ratings as new helmets are tested and developed by the industry, and hopes to soon expand the testing to include data on helmet performance when struck by objects.