If you’re working in construction, manufacturing, or any high-risk environment, you’re no stranger to head injury hazards. From minor bumps to serious knocks, accidents can happen in all shapes and sizes – whether it’s a small slip or a fatal fall.
Work-related Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) make up about 20% – 25% of work-related trauma, and they're especially common in construction. In fact, nearly 1 in 5 workplace deaths in 2021 happened on construction sites, with slips, trips, and falls making up 46.2% of those fatalities.
Such incidents can result in severe TBIs, which can significantly affect a worker’s ability to return to their pre-injury job and lead to costly long-term rehabilitation and disability expenses for both the worker and employer.
TBI disrupts the brain's normal function and can result from both direct impacts (linear) and indirect (rotational/angled) impact forces.
It’s important to understand what type of impact technology your safety helmet is equipped with and how it can help reduce your risk of injury while working in high-risk environments. TBIs can occur whether they’re visible or not, and most of the time – they're not. We’ll dive into different impact technologies soon, but first, let’s explore types of TBIs.
Types of TBIs
Head injuries we can see:
- Scalp injuries – cuts, scrapes, bruises
- Fractures
- Penetrating injuries
Injuries that aren’t always visible and classified as TBIs:
- Subdural hematomas – Occur when veins between the brain and its outer covering tear, leading to bleeding on the brain’s surface. They often result from a sharp, direct blow or fall.
- Diffuse axonal injuries - Caused by the brain rapidly shifting inside the skull, which can tear its long connecting nerve fibers. This type of injury often occurs in high-speed incidents like falls.
- Concussions - The most common TBI, resulting from a jolt or blow that causes the brain to shake inside the skull. Concussions can happen from seemingly minor incidents, like a slip or fall.
The most common type of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the workplace is concussion, which accounts for about 75% of all TBIs. Concussions occur when a sudden impact or jolt to the head causes the brain to move rapidly inside the skull, disrupting normal brain function.
While we often think of concussions as "mild" TBIs, they’re no small issue – they can bring significant symptoms like headaches, dizziness, confusion, and trouble concentrating, sometimes requiring days or even weeks to fully recover.
Other “invisible” TBIs, such as subdural hematomas, involve bleeding in the brain that can be life-threatening if not treated quickly.
From 2003 to 2010, 2,210 fatal TBIs occurred in the construction industry alone, with falls being the leading cause. These hidden injuries emphasize the critical importance of proper head protection and post-incident evaluation, as the damage is not always immediately visible.
To better understand how these injuries occur, let’s explore the difference between linear and rotational motion in the brain, as both can lead to different types of brain injuries depending on the nature of the impact.
What is the difference between linear and rotational motion during an impact?
Both linear and rotational motions in the brain can occur simultaneously during an impact, and each can lead to different types of TBI’s.
Linear motion in the brain occurs when the force is directed straight at the head, resulting in injuries like skull fractures or contusions where the brain strikes the inside of the skull.
Conversely, rotational motion involves the head twisting on impact. When hitting your head during a fall, it often isn’t a straight-on collision. Instead, it happens at an angle, similar to how a frisbee or tennis ball spins upon hitting the ground.
While traditional safety helmets are typically developed and tested for linear or direct forces from impacts, research indicates that the brain is more sensitive to rotational forces (angled impacts) than to linear forces. This highlights the importance of protective technologies that can address both types of motion.
Both technologies are essential in providing the highest level of protection tailored to the specific challenges of your work environment. Hopefully, you’re familiar with our Kinetix® suspension system that is the industry’s best protection against linear impacts – if not, you can learn more here.
But, what about protection against the forces of rotational motion?
What is the Mips® safety system and how does it work?
The Mips® safety system is designed to redirect the force of rotational impacts by mimicking the brain's own protective system. The human brain is naturally surrounded by cerebrospinal fluid, which allows it to move slightly within the skull during an impact, reducing the force that is transferred to the brain. Mips® works in a similar way with its three-layer design:
- Outer shell: The first layer is the hard helmet shell, which provides protection against direct, linear impacts by absorbing the initial force of an impact.
- Low-friction Mips® layer: The second layer is the low-friction Mips® layer, allowing for 10-15mm of movement in any direction. This layer shifts slightly upon impact, redirecting rotational forces away from the head.
- Inner padding and harness: The third layer is the comfort padding and harness system, which ensures a secure fit for the helmet and adds cushioning to further reduce the impact force transferred to the wearer’s head.
By replicating our brains’ natural protection system, Mips® technology helps reduce the risk of serious brain injuries caused by rotational motion during angled impacts. Studies have shown that helmets equipped with Mips® offer 10% better protection against rotational impacts compared to helmets without Mips®– it’s really a “no-brainer” when it comes to choosing added safety.
How does this protection differ from our Kinetix® suspension system?
While Mips® is designed to reduce rotational forces during angled impacts, our Kinetix® suspension system focuses on protecting against linear or struck-by impacts, which are more common in certain work environments.
When an impact occurs, Kinetix® triggers a chain of dynamic events within its components that stretch the moment of impact over time. This reduces the force energy that would otherwise be transferred directly to the brain.
In fact, impact forces to your head and neck are reduced by up to 40% more than the market’s leading competitors per the ANSI/ISEA Z89.1-2014 (R2019) force transmission standard. Unlike conventional systems, which channel force straight through the straps, Kinetix® distributes the energy more evenly, providing greater protection from linear impacts in high-risk environments.
So, Kinetix® or Mips®?
The bottom line is both linear and rotational impact injuries pose serious risks on the job, and both can happen depending on the nature of the work environment and the type of accident. That’s why it's critical to choose the right helmet with the best protective technologies for your situation. The best way to do this is to fully assess the risks and hazards on the job and work with a safety professional to choose.
These systems each offer a comprehensive solution that addresses multiple impact scenarios, ensuring you have the most effective protection no matter the job.
HexArmor® can help
At the end of the day, having the right equipment can help protect yourself and others from unexpected accidents in the workplace.
Need help finding the right safety helmet? HexArmor® has you covered. With your best interest in mind, we’ve partnered with protection that saves your best asset: your head.
When it comes to technology and head safety at HexArmor®, we’ve got you covered for any type of impact. Our proprietary Kinetix® suspension system is engineered to absorb linear impacts and protect against struck-by incidents, while Mips® safety system technology provides extra protection against rotational forces. Additionally, our durable four-point and six-point AirBridge® suspension systems deliver reliable protection that meets ANSI Z89.1 and CE EN397 standards. With these options, you’ll have top-quality head protection for any environment, impact type, or level of risk.
Find more information about Kinetix here and frequently asked questions about Mips® safety system here.
Let us know if you have questions or would like to start a trial – our Solution Specialists are ready to work with you. Call 1-877-MY ARMOR or send us a message.
Browse HexArmor's XP450A and XP450AE® safety helmets with Mips®
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