Strengthening Occupational Health & Safety Standards Together
The construction industry is evolving, and health and safety practices are advancing with it. Head injuries remain one of the leading causes of serious incidents, accounting for approximately 25% of construction fatalities. More than half of these result from falls, where impacts to the side, front, or back of the head are common and often not adequately protected by traditional hard hats.
To better address these risks, the industry is adopting Type 2 hard hats with chin straps, which provide enhanced impact protection, and reflects a shared commitment to strengthening worker protection and meeting the highest safety standards.
On our Construction Sites
Effective August 1, 2026, all personnel working on Matheson construction projects are required to wear Type II hard hats equipped with integrated chin straps at all times while on our sites.
Type II hard hats provide enhanced protection against both top and lateral impacts, while the integrated chin strap helps ensure the hard hat remains securely in place during normal work activities or in the event of a fall or impact.
Our supervisors are responsible for verifying compliance, and individuals who do not have the required PPE may be denied access to the project until compliant equipment is available.
Key Safety Differences between Types 1 and 2
Visually, they might look the same, however, the correct way to confirm the type is to look at the markings on the inside of the hat, plus the padding.
Impact Protection: Type 1 protects only against top/crown impacts; Type 2 provides 360-degree protection against lateral (side, front, and rear) impacts using an internal energy-absorbing foam liner.
Chin Straps: Four-point retention systems are integrated to keep the helmet secure during slips, trips, and falls.
Injury Reduction: Research shows Type 2 designs lower concussion probabilities by 34% and skull fractures by 65%.
We’ve made the switch to CSA Type 2 Safety Helmets across our team to better protect our people and put it into action every day we are on site. This means, wearing your new helmet whenever PPE is called for. This is the new head protection standard on all our worksites.