Briefly, this standard is a European standard on protective helmets that addresses the test method of protective helmet retention systems to improve the effectiveness of the protective helmet retention system. This standard is intended as an addition to specific product standards for protective helmets. The method or other test methods within the scope of this standard may be applied to complete helmets or parts thereof.
The EN 13087-5 standard on protective helmet retention systems is considered useful for:
Protective helmets are required when there is a risk of head injury from falling or stationary objects and electrical hazards. Head protection must be resistant to object penetration, absorb shock from impact, be water resistant and slow burning.
EN 13087-5 test methods provide guidance on apparatus, headform support, incremental load method, hook support, dynamic load method, headform support, dynamic load method, procedure and much more. These test methods help to improve the performance and quality of the protective helmet retention system, improve the strength of the retention system and reduce the risk of head injuries in the workplace.
By complying with this standard, it is possible to increase the stability of protective helmet retention systems and to perform standardized high-quality production.
The chin strap holds the helmet securely vertically, while the helmet’s retention system secures the helmet horizontally by routing the strap system tightly around the back of the head. The strap attaches to the sides and front of the helmet, allowing for a personalized fit if the helmet is slightly larger than the head. This way, riders with smaller or larger heads can perfect the fit. This tight fit helps to ensure the helmet stays on the head in the event of a fall or accident.
In general, safety helmets are designed to protect the person against objects hitting the head and unwanted impacts, bumps, scratches and electrical exposures to the head, eyes and neck. Wearing a safety helmet is a mandatory requirement that must be complied with. The important point here is that the holding power of the helmet complies with the criteria described in the EN 13087-5 standard.
Helmets can only protect the head when worn, and therefore the means of retaining the helmet on the wearer's head requires as much attention as the rest of the head protection and is therefore subject to a series of tests. The tests performed depend on the type of helmet, but two main tests are performed: retention system strength and retention system effectiveness.
The retention system (especially the chin strap) is subjected to a force applied statically or dynamically to ensure that the strap is less likely to fail at the point where it is most needed. However, in industrial helmets it is desirable that the chin strap does not pose a strangulation hazard and therefore is not too strong. Therefore, the straps must include a shear element in the anchors designed to fail within a certain load range.
Generally, a helmet with a chin strap is attached to a headform of appropriate size, and the chin strap is attached to an artificial jaw in which the headform remains static, or to the chin of the headform, where the headform is used to apply the force dynamically. The chin strap is then subjected to a static force or a dynamic load applied using a falling mass, and the amount of tension in the chin strap is measured.
Among the numerous tests, measurements, analyses and evaluation studies carried out for businesses in various sectors, our organization also provides testing services defined in the standard “EN 13087-5 Protective helmets - Test methods - Part 5: Retention system strength” with its trained and expert staff and advanced technological equipment.
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