| Topic: Protective Headwear – Standard Equivalency | Issued by: Chief Compliance Officer |
| Statute: General Regulation 91-191 | Date Issued: April 24, 2025 |
| Section: 40(1) and 40(2) | Date Revised: |
Question
Does ANSI-certified industrial head protection offer equivalent or better protection than CSA approved industrial protective headwear?
Answer
No, ANSI-certified headwear does not offer equivalent or better protection.
For protective headwear, the regulation permits the use of hardhats that offer equivalent or better protection than a CSA Z94.1-15 approved industrial protective headwear. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word equivalent as corresponding or virtually identical especially in effect or function.
CSA Z94.1-15 outlines the areas of the head that are to be protected and includes basic performance requirements for dielectric strength, impact attenuation, penetration resistance, passive retention (stability), shell flammability and liner ignition resistance. Similar to CSA, ANSI/ISEA Z89.1-2014 (R2019), “American National Standard for Industrial Head Protection” prescribes a series of tests and requirements that must be satisfied for protective headwear to be ANSI approved.
For non-CSA approved protective headwear to be deemed acceptable, it shall have been subjected, as a minimum, to the same test protocols while meeting or exceeding the performance requirements as established in the CSA standard CSA Z94.1-15.
A comparative analysis of both standards, CSA and ANSI, demonstrated the ANSI-certified headwear does not meet the performance requirements establish by CSA Z94.1-15. Although both standards have similar or identical tests conducted on the shell and liner (for Type 2), the ANSI-certified headwear does not have an equality of performance, as it is subjected to lower quantitative acceptance criteria than those established by CSA.
Based on the performance requirements comparison, ANSI/ISEA Z89.1-2014 (R2019) approved industrial head protection does not offer equivalent protection to CSA Z94.1-15.
Referenced Legislation
40(1) On a project site, an employee shall use Class E, Type 2 headwear that conforms to CSA standard CSA Z94.1-15, “Industrial protective headwear – Performance, selection, care, and use” or a standard offering equivalent or better protection.
40(2) At a place of employment, other than a project site, where an employee is exposed to a hazard that may injure the employee’s head, the employee shall use protective equipment that is appropriate to the hazard and that conforms to CSA standard CSA Z94.1-15, “Industrial protective headwear – Performance, selection, care, and use” or a standard offering equivalent or better protection.