Custom Printing On Hard Hats

Yes - BIG Safety offers company-branded and custom printed hard hats with the PRO Choice range. Custom printing is a common requirement for principal contractors, mining companies, and large industrial operations that want to display company logos, project names, or worker role identifiers on site.

Key points on custom printing and certification:

• Custom printing is applied by BIG Safety using approved methods that do not compromise the shell's structural integrity or AS/NZS 1801 certification
• Solvent-based inks or screen printing that penetrates the shell surface can degrade ABS or polycarbonate shells — only approved printing processes are used
• The certification marking on the inside of the shell is never removed or obscured
• Custom printed helmets are available across all standard PRO Choice colours in both the V6 and V9 models
• Minimum order quantities apply for custom printing - click here to arrange a quote https://bigsafety.com.au/products/custom-printed-hard-hats

Custom printed hard hats serve a dual purpose: they reinforce your brand on site and make immediately clear to site inspectors and visitors which company's workers they are interacting with.

Under AS/NZS 1800:1998, workers should inspect their hard hat before each use. A practical pre-use inspection takes less than 30 seconds and covers:

Shell inspection:

• Run a thumb firmly across the full surface - feel for cracks, dents, or soft spots
• Check the surface finish - a chalky, dull, or faded appearance indicates UV degradation and potential brittleness
• Confirm no holes, gouges, or abrasions are present beyond normal surface wear
• Verify the certification marking inside the shell remains legible

Harness/suspension inspection:

• Check all harness mounts - press each one; they should be firmly locked in position
• Inspect the webbing straps for fraying, discolouration, stiffness, or brittleness
• Confirm the headband adjustment mechanism operates correctly and holds position
• Check that the harness sits at least 32mm below the top of the shell (the minimum gap required for energy absorption)

If any item fails inspection, remove the helmet from service immediately and replace before work begins.

Australia does not have a single national regulatory standard that mandates specific hard hat colours. The colour conventions widely seen on Australian worksites are industry practice, not law - they are defined by the principal contractor and set out in each project's site safety plan and induction documentation.

The most common Australian site colour conventions are below:

White - Site managers, engineers, supervisors, architects

Yellow - General labourers and plant operators

Orange - New or visiting workers, traffic controllers, inductees

Blue - Tradespeople (electricians, plumbers, carpenters)

Green - Safety officers and first aiders

Red - Fire wardens; sometimes used for subcontractor supervisors

Fluoro Yellow - High-visibility requirement areas; plant exclusion zones

Always confirm the colour scheme at site induction — the same colour can mean different roles on different projects. The only compliance requirement under AS/NZS 1801 is that the helmet meets the standard - colour is a site management and identification tool, not a safety specification.

From 25 years of selling Hard Hats - 95% of them are white, the majority of others were based on a Companies brand/colour preferences.

There is no single fixed expiry date stamped on a hard hat, but AS/NZS 1800:1998 and manufacturer guidelines set the following service life benchmarks:

Shell (outdoor/high UV exposure) - 2 years from date of first issue

Shell (indoor/low UV exposure) - Up to 5 years from date of first issue

Shell (from manufacture - even if not issued) - 5 years maximum, regardless of use

Suspension/harness (all environments)replaced within 24 months from date of first use

A hard hat must be replaced immediately - regardless of age - when:

• The shell has sustained any significant impact (even if no visible damage is apparent)
• The shell is cracked, chalky, dull, or has changed colour (signs of UV degradation and brittleness)
• The harness mounts have broken, the straps are frayed or brittle, or the harness no longer holds securely
• The certification marking inside the shell is illegible

How to find the manufacture date: look inside the shell for a moulded calendar wheel - one dial shows the year, the other dial shows the month, with an arrow indicating the specific manufacture date.

You can clik here to find out more detail about Hard Hat servicability timelines:- https://bigsafety.com.au/blogs/blog/hard-hat-lifetime-the-safety-detail-many-worksites-overlook

The choice between a full brim and a cap-style (peaked) hard hat is primarily driven by the work environment and exposure conditions:

Full brim hard hats (such as the PRO Choice V6 Full Brim) have a wide brim extending around the complete circumference of the helmet. Choose a full brim when:

• Working outdoors in the Australian sun - the full brim provides all-round protection for the face, ears, and the back of the neck, significantly reducing UV exposure over a full working day
• Working in rain - the full brim channels water away from the face and collar
• Working where drips, sparks, or debris may fall from the sides or rear - such as below other workers on scaffolding
• Welding or grinding at height where spatter falls from multiple directions

Cap-style (peaked) hard hats - such as the V6 and V9 standard shells - are better suited to indoor environments, confined spaces, or work in areas with restricted overhead clearance, where the full brim could catch on structures. They are also the practical choice when face shields, browguards, or lamp brackets need to be attached at the front.

Both the PRO Choice V6 and V9 are AS/NZS 1801-certified Type 1 hard hats - the key difference is the 3 x additional ventilation ports and the complete remodel of the outer shell.

A detailed breakdown can be viewed here:- https://bigsafety.com.au/blogs/blog/what-is-the-difference-between-the-prochoice-v6-and-v9-hard-hats

An independently certified hard hat has been submitted to a third-party testing laboratory -separate from the manufacturer - and verified to meet all performance requirements of AS/NZS 1801. This is distinct from a manufacturer self-declaring compliance, which carries no independent verification.

To verify certification on any hard hat:

• Look inside the shell for the AS/NZS 1801 certification mark, the helmet type, electrical class (if applicable), and manufacture date
• Confirm the certification mark includes the standard number and edition year — e.g. AS/NZS 1801:2024
• Helmets already in service that were certified under the 1997 standard remain compliant until their replacement date — they do not need to be immediately replaced when the 2024 standard was released

If the marking inside a helmet is missing, illegible, or faded, the helmet should be retired immediately — there is no safe way to confirm its performance rating without the certification mark.

Hard hats (occupational protective helmets) in Australia and New Zealand must comply with AS/NZS 1801 - Occupational Protective Helmets. The current edition is AS/NZS 1801:2024, which updated and replaced the long-standing 1997 version.

Compliance is effectively mandatory. Under Australian Work Health and Safety (WHS) legislation, employers are required to provide appropriate PPE where a risk of head injury exists - and any hard hat supplied must meet AS/NZS 1801 as the benchmark referenced by Safe Work Australia and state WHS regulators.

The standard is complemented byAS/NZS 1800:1998 - Occupational Protective Helmets: Selection, Care and Use, which provides guidance on selecting the right helmet for a given hazard and maintaining it correctly throughout its service life.

All PRO Choice hard hats stocked at BIG Safety are independently tested and certified to AS/NZS 1801.