Hard Hat Browguard

PRO Choice offers a certified accessory range specifically designed and tested to work with their V6 and V9 hard hat shells without compromising AS/NZS 1801 certification. Available accessories include:

• Viper Hard Hat Earmuffs - clip-on earmuffs that attach to the hard hat shell, providing rated hearing protection without requiring a separate earmuff headband
• Lift-Up Browguard and Face Shield - attaches to the brim of the hard hat; can be lifted clear when not required. Available with clear, tinted, or mesh face shield options
• Detachable Wide Brim - converts a standard cap-style hard hat into a full-brim configuration for outdoor UV and rain protection
• Adjustable Chin Strap - prevents the helmet from being dislodged in high-wind environments or during work at height
• Hard Hat Winter Liner - Whilst beanies and hoodies are not allowed to be worn under Hard Hats as they made enhance the risk of your hard hat falling off, the PRO Choice Hard Hat Winter Liner comes with straps to secure the harness to the Winter Liner. Perfect for those early morning winter starts.

Only use certified PRO Choice accessories with PRO Choice helmets. Third-party or non-certified accessories may compromise the shell or harness, void the certification, or introduce failure modes that were not tested as part of the AS/NZS 1801 assessment.

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.

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

Yes - after any significant impact, replace the hard hat immediately.This is one of the most misunderstood aspects of hard hat safety. The suspension system inside a PRO Choice hard hat works by stretching and deforming under impact to absorb and distribute force. This deformation is what prevents the force from reaching the skull — but once the harness and shell have performed this function, the internal structure is compromised even if the external shell appears intact.

Hairline stress fractures in the shell and permanent deformation of the harness webbing are typically invisible to the naked eye after a significant impact. A helmet that has been struck once has lower residual protection than a new helmet - it may fail entirely to protect the wearer in a subsequent impact.

The PRO Choice PROlink harness system in V6 and V9 helmets is specifically designed to maximise shock absorption - but this comes at the cost of single-use energy management. Always treat a dropped or struck hard hat as a replaced item, not a salvaged one.

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.