title: Superiority of clear-visor safety hat to opaque-visor hat: an evaluation of upper visual-field obstruction.
abstract: Three subjects were used to compare superior visual-field threshold for 5 North American industry-standard opaque safety hard hats with a prototype clear translucent-visor safety hard hat and a no-hat baseline condition. Average maximum degrees of superior visual field was equivalent for the clear-visor safety hat and no-hat conditions (52.0 degrees versus 48.3 degrees) but the opaque-visor safety hats resulted in only 15.1 degrees. The opaque safety hats were worse than the clear-visor safety hat and no-hat conditions by, on the average, an order of 3. Analysis indicated that visual-field obstruction is a potential problem for wearers of opaque safety hats. Field research will be required to assess the extent of injuries caused by an impaired superior field of vision when wearing opaque-safety-hat visors. The potential positive effects of the clear-visor safety hat on reduction of accidents also must be determined.
authors.affiliation: Creswell Chiropractic Centre, Canada.
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Creswell
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Brisbin
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Toma
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Reddon
mesh_terms: D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D000328:Adult; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006260:Head Protective Devices; D006801:Humans; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011601:Psychophysics; D012449:Safety; D015348:Vision, Binocular; D014794:Visual Fields