Hard Hat Color Code and Type: Building site essentials

by Joost Nusselder | Updated on:  September 5, 2020
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The hard hat is one of the most common safety accessories today, and it’s more of a helmet that a hat.

Most governments require construction site workers including the welders, engineers, managers, and everyone else on the site to have them on, as they’re vital for saving a life should an accident occur.

But maybe you have been to a construction site and hat problems differentiating engineers from safety inspectors or general laborers.

Hard-hat-color-code

What you probably don’t know is that different hard hat colors signify different roles, letting the laborers understand who is who.

Even though the color code for hard hats differs among different nations or organizations, some basic rules can assist you in identifying workers from the color of the hard hat they are wearing.

Hard hat colorsImages
White hard hats: Managers, foreman, supervisors, and architectsWhite hardhat MSA skullguard

 

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Brown hard hats: welders or other heat professionalsBrown hardhat MSA skullguard

 

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Green hard hats: safety officers or inspectorsGreen hardhat MSA Skullguard

 

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Yellow hard hats: Earth-moving operators and general laborYellow hardhat MSA skullguard

 

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Orange hard hats: road construction workersOrange hardhat

 

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Blue hard hats: Technical operators like electriciansBlue hardhat MSA Skullguard

 

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Grey hard hats: intended for visitors on the siteGrey hardhat Evolution Deluxe

 

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Pink hard hats: replacement for a lost or broken onePink hardhat

 

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Red hard hats: Emergency workers like firefightersRed hardhat

 

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Color Coding

Initially, all the hats hard a dark brown and black color. There was no color coding.

This is a more recent invention that’s useful in identifying all the categories of workers on a construction site.

Keep in mind that the hard hat color codes may differ from country to country.

As well, companies can create their own color codes on their construction sites as long as the workers and everyone involved knows the codes and color schemes.

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Some sites choose to go with unusual colors.

But, as a general rule, we outline the meaning of each color and what it stands for in the list below.

Why is a hard hat important?

A hard hat is also called a safety-hat because the hard material of the hat offers protection.

The reason is that hard hats are essential pieces of protection equipment on construction sites. A hard hat is a must-have for every worker (like these choices here).

Hard hats protect a worker’s head from falling debris or objects. As well, a helmet protects against any electric shocks or unexpected hazards.

What are hard hats made of?

Most modern hard hats are made of a material called high-density polyethylene, also abbreviated as HDPE. Other alternative materials are highly-durable polycarbonate or thermoplastic.

The exterior of the hard hat looks like a colored plastic but don’t be fooled. These hard hats are damage resistant.

What do the hard hat colors mean?

White hard hats: Managers, foreman, supervisors, and architects

White is usually meant for managers, engineers, foremen, architects, and supervisors. In fact, white is for the top-rank workers on the site.​

Many top-ranked workers wear the white hard hat in combination with a hi-vis vest so that they stand out from others.

This makes it easy to identify your boss or superior in case there are issues.

White hardhat MSA skullguard

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Brown hard hats: welders or other heat professionals

If you see someone wearing a brown hard hat, that might be a welder or someone whose job involves heat applications.

In general, a person wearing a brown helmet is involved with welding or operating machines that require heat.

Most people expect welders to wear red hats, but that is not the case because red is for firefighters and other emergency workers.

Brown hardhat MSA skullguard

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Green hard hats: safety officers or inspectors

Green is often used to signify safety officers or inspectors. However, it can be worn by new laborers on the site or a staff member on probation.

Green is both the color for inspectors and trainees. It is slightly confusing as mix-ups can occur.

Green hardhat MSA Skullguard

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Yellow hard hats: Earth-moving operators and general labor

There was a time when I thought a yellow hard hat was meant for engineers because this color stands out. Now I know it’s often used by earth-moving operators and general laborers.

These kinds of workers have no specialty. Yellow is often confused with road crew, but in fact, road crew members usually wear orange.

Notice how so many workers at a construction site wear yellow because in fact, most people there are general laborers.

Yellow hardhat MSA skullguard

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Orange hard hats: road construction workers

Have you noticed construction workers wearing orange safety helmets while driving? You usually notice them on the highway, doing roadwork.

Orange is the color for road construction workers. These include banksman slingers and traffic marshals. Some of the people who work as lifting operatives also wear orange hats.

Orange hardhat

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Blue hard hats: Technical operators like electricians

Technical operators like electricians and carpenters typically wear a blue hard hat. They are skilled tradesmen, responsible for building and installing things.

Also, the medical staff or personnel on a building site wears blue hard hats. Thus, if you have a medical emergency, seek out the blue hats first.

Blue hardhat MSA Skullguard

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Grey hard hats: intended for visitors on the site

When you visit a site, you might be given a grey hard hat to put on, in order to ensure your safety. That’s the color that’s usually meant for visitors.

In case an employee forgets their hat or misplaces it, there’s usually a bright pink hard hat on the site for them to wear before they get it back or find a new one.

For that reason, the only time you need to wear a grey hat is if you are visiting a site.

Grey hardhat Evolution Deluxe

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Pink hard hats: replacement for a lost or broken one

You don’t expect to see construction workers in pink hard hats.

However, this color is reserved for those people who break and damage their hat on the job, or in some instances, those who forget their hat at home.

Think of the pink hat as a ‘temporary solution’ as the pink hats are sometimes frowned upon for their carelessness.

That particular worker must wear a pink hat until his original hard hat is replaced, in order to avoid injury.

Traditionally, the pink hat was a type of punishment for forgetting your equipment at home.

All construction sites must have spare pink hard hats for those who need them.

Pink hardhat

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Red hard hats: Emergency workers like firefighters

The red hard hat is reserved for emergency workers only, such as firefighters or other employees skilled in emergency response.

For that reason, you must have emergency training in order to wear a red safety helmet or else you risk causing a panic on the construction site.

If you see staff in red helmets, it means there is an ongoing emergency situation, like a fire.

Red hardhat

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What are the benefits of the color-coding system?

First and foremost, the colored hats make it easy to identify all the workers on the construction site.

It’s recommended that all the workers are trained and told what each color means and all of them should wear the correct hard hat color based on their position or rank.

Here’s why it’s essential that workers wear their hard hats:

  • Hard hats are resistant to damage and crucial for construction site safety. They prevent injury and even death.
  • The specific colors make it easy to identify all the people on the site.
  • The workers can identify their colleagues based on the hard hat color, which saves time.
  • Colored hats make it easy for supervisors to watch over their workers and identify what position the workers hold.
  • If you maintain a continuous color policy, communication between different categories of workers is easier.

Here is lady engineer looking at the different colors:

History of the Hard Hat

Did you know that up until the early 20th century, construction workers didn’t wear hard hats because they didn’t realize how important safety is?

The history of the hard hat is only about 100 years old, thus shockingly recent, considering that great construction projects have been built for thousands of years.

It all started with a man named Edward W. Bullard. He developed the first safety hard hat in 1919 in San Francisco.

The hat was built for peacetime workers and it was called the Hard-Boiled Hat.

The hat was crafted out of leather and canvas and it is considered the first head protection device sold commercially throughout America.

Widespread use of what we know today as the hard hat can be traced back to the 1930s in America. These hats were used in many massive construction projects such as the Golden Gate Bridge in California and the Hoover Dam. Though their construction was different. The use of these hats was mandated by the Six Companies, Inc. In 1933.

Why Do You Need a Hard Hat?

The primary use of hard hats is related to safety and the reduction of possible accidents and injuries. But nowadays the hard hat is being used in various creative ways to increase the overall efficiency of the worksite.

Why-Do-You-Need-a-Hard-Hat

Safety From Falling Objects

The most basic use of a hard hat is protection from falling objects. The hard hat as we know it was created specifically for this purpose. Even more primitive versions of the hard hat such as a normal hat covered with tar were made specifically for the protection of shipbuilding workers’ heads from objects overhead.

Identification of a Person

Hard hats are a very convenient way to immediately identify any person on the worksite. With the color code, it is ever so simple to determine what a worker’s designation is and what he does on the site with a mere glance. This decreases the amount of wasted time.

For example, let’s say you are facing some sort of electrical issue while working on the first floor. So you need a person from the electrical side to shut down the power properly. You can easily do this by looking for the required color and identifying them from a crowd. Without a color-coded hard hat, this can take a lot of time.

Easing Communication

Color-coded hard hats have made communicating on the worksite easier. One worker can easily notify another worker if they are in a dangerous place. For example, if you are lifting any kind of heavy machinery and you have to call out all the workers in that field. You can easily do this with the hard hat colors.

Maintaining Continuity

If all the construction sites employ the usage of the same color-coded hard hats it can help maintain continuity. Workers going from one project to another can feel somewhat at home due to the similar color-coded hard hats. They can easily identify which workers belong where. Supervisors will also be benefitted from this.

Final Thoughts about Hard Hat Color Codes

As I pointed out before, there is an essential color code to follow when wearing a hard hat in the construction industry.

The reason being that safety is essential and so workers must be easily identifiable. It’s an unwritten rule and not hard and fast.

Since there is no government regulation on specific colors, companies can choose their own colors. Therefore, it’s best to do your research beforehand.

You will find sites that don’t use this exact code, so it’s worth making inquiries before you start working on the site.

However, you will notice that all construction sites color code their workers.

Remember, even though the color-coding system is advantageous with potential safety benefits, it’s better to wear a hard hat of any color than to have no hard hat when you’re at a construction site.

To clarify, the white color hard hat is designed for engineers.

Nonetheless, there have been instances of work coming to a halt because the workers were wearing the wrong color of hard hats.

What is the hard hat color code in your country or organization? Let us know in the comments.​

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I'm Joost Nusselder, the founder of Tools Doctor, content marketer, and dad. I love trying out new equipment, and together with my team I've been creating in-depth blog articles since 2016 to help loyal readers with tools & crafting tips.