Both Standards test and rate impact and penetration protection at varying angles from the centreline of your helmet. (Note: Check penetration protection for helmets with vents.)

In a sign of the continuing unrest gripping the United States after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, two Atlanta police officers recently lost their jobs after tasing two students from two historically black colleges and dragging them from their car during last week’s protests in the city.

Despite the fact that tasers deliver a 50,000-volt jolt, it is thought that there is little risk of cardiac or heart problems, according to Dr. Slovis. However, the risk might be understated because much of the data comes from research on healthy volunteers. “There’s a minimally elevated risk for people with underlying cardiac issues,” he says. Even outside of study settings, Dr. Slovis adds, “there have been autopsies performed where they can’t find any structural heart disease and attribute it to abnormal rhythm either precipitated by delirium or the delirium plus taser.”

Tasers may not be as dangerous as you think, but they still pose a significant risk if you fall into one of these categories.

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“In rare cases, they can cause significant damage or bleeding to structures and, in very unlucky cases, significant damage to eyes if they’re shot into eyes,” he adds. “My understanding is that the training is to aim for the center chest and back so as to avoid hitting faces but, theoretically, if they hit the eye, there’s a pretty significant chance might lose vision.”

But they have resulted in harm, even death in certain groups of people. People who have died after being tased generally have been described as “agitated” or in a state of “excited delirium.” “Almost all of them have a history of psychiatric disease or have cocaine or other stimulants on board including also having alcohol,” says Dr. Slovis. The deaths have also typically occurred after multiple shocks, he adds.

We know that the myriad of safety Standards can be confusing. So if you need help finding the right height-safe helmet for you – give us a call. We have 20 years of experience helping people like you get the best-fit and best-performing helmet for their needs.

For example, you may be on the side of a building with people working above you. Or you’re an arborist or linesman and vulnerable to overhead hazards. Perhaps you’re working underneath a glass atrium – or in weather that could uplift fragile roofing.

Tasing is not often used in crowd-control situations but is frequently used by police officers against individuals. “It’s very much targeted toward a single individual whereas other weapons [such as rubber bullets and tear gas] are used more for crowd control,” says Ian Wittman, MD, chief of emergency medicine at NYU Langone Hospital–Brooklyn.

One man who was tased after speeding in California said that one of the barbs settled so deep that he needed surgery to remove it.

And in the event of a fall – even with height safety equipment to arrest your fall – serious head trauma risks remain. You could hit or catch the edge of something on the way down. You may swing sideways (eg falling off a roof and swinging into the side of a building).

American Public Media Reports, an organization that focuses on independent investigative and documentary journalism, says that about 400,000 American patrol officers carry tasers. There are different guidelines for how to use tasers, including some from the American Civil Liberties Union. First off, officers need to be trained. They also need to issue a verbal warning, such as, “Stop, get on the ground, or you will be tased” and avoid targeting the face, neck, and groin. Other guidelines include refraining from using a taser if a person could fall.

In an ideal world, all of these safety features would be included, tested and rated under a single Standard. To know that our helmet is height-safe, all we’d have to do is look for that Standard.

Most Australian worksites issue helmets that meet the Australian Standard for Occupational Protective Helmets (AS/NZS 1801 : 1997). This is a good start as 1801’s will protect your head from overhead impacts (ie falling objects). They also include a level of flame resistance.

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Instead, each safety feature is covered by multiple Standards (listed below) which test and rate to varying levels. All of which means you have to look closely to know how your helmet will perform.

One person who was tased described shooting, excruciating pain that shook his brain like a “peanut in a jar.” Another person said she felt like bees were crawling through her skin.

Protecting your head from overhead impacts remains vitally important. Equipment, tools, materials can still fall when you’re working at height. And you could be in the line of fire.

Helmet safety starts with using the right helmet. But not every helmet is right for height. Features that keep you safe on the ground, won’t do the job off it. Why? Because the moment your feet leave the floor, the risks change. And they vary – depending on what you’re doing.

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General industrial safety helmets offer some protection but have not been tested for this. Therefore, look to high performance industrial helmets and those made for mountaineers.

Let’s take a helmet rated only to the Standard for Mountaineers (EN 12492). It may be alright for height – but not suitable for industrial applications. Not unless it also meets the basic electrical insulation requirements of Standard EN 397 or EN 14052. Why? Because both of these standards apply to industrial (vs climbing) helmets. And as such they test for flame resistance.

A taser essentially stuns you, hence the moniker “stun gun.” “You can expect to feel just a total loss of muscle tone and the inability to move anything for a brief period of time,” says Corey Slovis, MD, chairman of the department of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center as well as medical director for the Nashville fire department and airport. “You’re truly stunned and are not able to move anything.”

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According to Robert Glatter, MD, an emergency physician in New York City, people who have been tased have “suffered seizures and cardiac arrest and dangerous arrhythmia like ventricular fibrillation.”

As the above illustrates, it’s really important to do a thorough risk assessment. You need to know your helmet covers all of your risks – not just some of them.

If you’ve been hit by a taser with barbs, make sure you keep the puncture wounds clean, counsels Alberta Health Services in Canada. And be aware that you may have burns and muscle pain. Heat or ice may help with sore muscles, as well as over-the-counter pain relievers.

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That’s why you must ensure your helmet is rated for overhead or Crown Impacts. This is tested in two ways (rating levels vary per Standard).

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Furthermore, you need a chinstrap that has been stress-tested and will not release under pressure. That’s why your height-safe helmet must also include a Secure Chinstrap.

If you take one thing away today, it should be to have another look at the helmet you’re using. If all your risks aren’t covered or your needs have changed – you need a different helmet.

Both high performance and standard industrial helmets also require a secure chinstrap. However, they’re secure to a lower force – up to 150N (~15kg) –  and must release before 250N (~25kg). This releasing-type chinstrap is more suitable for work on or closer to the ground where fall distance is reduced. The lower release load is designed to prevent any strangulation hazard if the helmet becomes snagged.

Given the potentially fatal risk, you need to know your helmet will stay on if you fall. Therefore, a chinstrap is an absolute must when working at height.

The Stanford Criminal Justice Center recommends that tasers never be used on children, pregnant women, elderly individuals, people who are mentally ill, and/or under the influence of drugs.

The most secure chinstraps are found on Mountaineering Helmets. They’re called non-releasing chinstraps because they’ll withstand a 500N (~50kg) force before releasing. In other words – in a big fall, your helmet stays on.

However, the 1801 Standard is almost 25 years old. While it may address your primary head trauma risks at ground level – it will not address those of working at height (as you’ll see below). As a result, this Standard alone is not sufficient for helmet safety at height.

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“The barbs themselves are shot as a projectile at high speed,” says Dr. Wittman. “They look like little fish hooks which keeps them embedded.”

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Some people have experienced minor trauma when the tased have fallen onto hard objects, says Dr. Slovis. And in one randomized, controlled 2015 study published in Criminology & Public Policy, researchers found that healthy volunteers who were tased experienced diminished short-term memory and trouble processing new information.

Compared to other measures used to subdue people, tasers are actually relatively safe and were deployed for people not obeying commands to get down on the ground. “Originally, they could be used with impunity because they immobilized a person without inflicting permanent damage unless someone got shot in the eye,” says Dr. Slovis.

The Stanford report found that the muscle contractions produced by tasing can result in strain-type injuries to organs, joints tendons, and ligaments.

It’s meant to be everything you need to know about height safety, confined space and rescue all conveniently in one place.

There are two types of tasers, explains Dr. Wittman. One delivers an electric current when it is pressed directly against a person. The other fires two barbs into the person. “Electrical currents travel through the attached wires,” he says. “Police departments usually use the barbed tasers because you don’t need to be in physical contact.” According to the Stanford Criminal Justice Center, the devices deliver 50,000 volts of electricity meant to overwhelm the central nervous system. The shocks are delivered in bursts of five seconds, but this can go on indefinitely if the finger stays on the trigger. (Make sure you know about ways to handle a medical emergency.)

Now let’s say you’re in Electrical Utilities and work-at-height in proximity to electrical installations. In this environment, you’ll need electrical protection beyond the Standards for industrial helmets. As a result, your helmet must also meet Standard EN 50365. This Standard covers the insulation of helmets where there’s potential for contact with low voltage electrical installations.

There are three critical features to look for in a height-safe helmet. Protection from overhead impacts, protection from multiple side impacts and a chinstrap that’ll keep your helmet on.