Unlike industrial safety helmets, bump caps are designed for protection against contact with static objects. Impact testing is carried out at a lower energy on the front and rear to address different risks.
The EN 812 industrial bump cap standard specifies an impact energy of only 12.5 J, compared to the 49-98 J required for protective helmets. Bump caps offer suitable protection when working around low ceilings, on a production line, or in other areas with overhead obstructions. However it is important to remember they are not intended to withstand falling masses and should never be selected if your risk assessment identified that a helmet is required.
Learn more about the differences between bump caps and helmets.
Impact protection
Bump caps are impact tested in four locations. Samples are fitted on a test headform which is tilted 30° and 60° to vertical, allowing the striker to impact the front and rear.
A 5kg flat steel striker is dropped from a height of 0.25m to create an impact energy of 12.5 J.
In each test, the force transmitted to the headform must remain below 15 kN.
Penetration resistance
Penetration resistance testing is carried out on the top of the cap. A 0.5kg conical striker is dropped from a height of 0.5m to strike within a 50mm radius of the crown.
To pass, the striker must not contact the headform.
Before impact and penetration testing, samples are pre-conditioned:
- Low temperature -10°C
- High temperature +50°C
- Water immersion
- Artificial (UV) aging
- Very low temperature -20°C / -30°C (optional)
Flame resistance
For optional flame resistance testing, a flame is applied near the crown for 10 seconds and the bump cap materials must not burn after the flame has been removed.
Electrical properties
Bump caps that meet this optional requirement are intended to provide 440V electrical insulation. Three tests are carried out to measure leakage current at 1200V in various locations around the cap.
JSP extra testing
As Category II products under the PPE Regulation, bump caps only need to be tested once for initial certification. However we implement extra testing to assess ongoing compliance.
JSP bump caps are assessed continuously with in-house testing for every batch and regular independent assessment by a Notified Body. Samples are taken from each production batch for testing in our QA laboratory, verifying that products meet EN 812 requirements and our own custom specifications.
JSP head protection is covered by the BSI Kitemark™ scheme. This means our bump caps are assessed regularly by BSI to ensure compliance with the PPE Regulation and EN 812 standard.
The JSP® HardCap Aerolite® is tested to a custom specification that goes beyond the standard’s requirements. In place of the EN 812 ‘very low temperature’ option, impact and penetration testing is carried out at -40°C to assess protection at extremely low temperatures.
Industrial bump caps serve a different purpose to protective helmets. Impact protection is tested at a much lower energy, focusing on the front and rear areas of the cap, to simulate contact with a static overhead obstruction. While the EN 812 standard includes optional pre-conditioning at -20°C or -30°C, JSP go a step further, assessing the HardCap Aerolite® at -40°C. Bump caps only need to be assessed once for initial certification, but our rigorous approach applies continuous testing, both in-house and externally through the BSI Kitemark™ scheme.