Interactive tool · Helmet life
Every hard hat carries its birthday moulded into the shell, and most people on site have never looked at it. Plastic ages — UV chalks it, heat cycles embrittle it — so shells carry stated service lives whether they've earned a scratch or not. Read the stamp; the tool does the rest.
The tool
Moulded into the shell, usually under the peak: a clock-style wheel (arrow on the month, year in the centre) or a plain month/year stamp.
The overrides
| Check | Fail looks like | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Impact history | Any significant strike — dropped load, fall, vehicle contact | Replace regardless of appearance |
| Shell surface | Cracks, deep scratches, chalky or faded colour | UV damage — replace |
| Flex test | Squeeze the sides: creaking, dullness, no spring | Embrittled — replace |
| Harness & cradle | Frayed webbing, cracked clips, perished sweatband | Replace harness or whole unit |
| Stickers & paint | Solvent-based paints/adhesives on the shell | Can degrade plastic — follow maker's rules |
Context
Questions
Look for the moulded stamp on the underside of the peak or brim: either a clock-style wheel (arrow pointing at the month, year in the centre) or a plain month/year mark. That's the manufacture date — the reference point for the maker's stated service life.
Manufacturers state service lives — commonly around five years from manufacture (some three, some longer), with shorter figures for heavy UV exposure. The date is a ceiling: any significant impact, cracking, chalky fading or brittleness retires the shell immediately whatever the calendar says.
Shelf life counts too — the plastic ages in storage, just more slowly. Makers publish storage allowances alongside in-use life; a shell stored years before first issue doesn't get the full life from first use. When documentation is unclear, work from the moulded date.
The matching certified kit is one click away — or ask a human if the tool didn't settle it.