Evaluating the impact of different hard hats on the peripheral vision of construction workers.

Construction safety is always an issue for construction workers. Hence, personal protective equipment plays a critical role in avoiding potential hazards on construction sites. Among these, hard hats protect against head contact with falling objects on construction sites. This study aims to examine the effects of hard hats with different peak lengths on the field of view at different angles in the upward part and to examine the effects of possible field of view losses caused by the hard hat on the reaction times of the workers. A questionnaire was designed and administered to the construction workers. Then, experiments were conducted with a group of subjects to assess their peripheral vision level as well as reaction times. The study found that peripheral vision is affected by the peak size of hard hats. The study further revealed that there is a significant relationship between reaction times and hard hat peak size. This work involved human subjects or animals in its research. Approval of all ethical and experimental procedures and protocols was granted by Gebze Technical University Human Subjects Research Ethical Review Committee with approval number 43633178-050.99..