Helmets

Okay, the next thing we are going to be looking at is, we need some form of protection on our heads. The reason for this is obviously when we are climbing, there is potential for knocking our heads, but we have also got to think about falling objects as well. The helmet I have in my hand, this particular helmet, does have the manufacturer's recommendation life of 10 years. When it comes to these particular helmets, again, these do need to have inspection records and you will find that the inspection record does tally with the serial numbers on the helmet. Serial numbers on this particular helmet are very, very awkward to get to. And if you do not understand how the serial number is written, you would not understand the date of manufacture.

The serial number is actually on a little sticker on the inside and it is very difficult to see. On that sticker, it will clearly show what the serial number is, but the date of manufacture is incorporated into the serial number. We can see inside, there is a yellow label there with the CE marking, which is a requirement for being used in the UK. So, looking at the helmet itself, what is important about the helmet? Well, the helmet is there to protect your head from certain impacts. With this particular helmet, it will give you good impact protection from the top, but it also has good side protection as well. The helmet is designed for primarily at height, hence there is no peak.

To do an inspection on this helmet, what I am looking for on this helmet is any severe scores or markings, where potentially it could have actually caused a severe damage to the helmet. For me to actually try and see if there is anything there, and it could, obviously, cause this helmet to fail. A very simple test now I am going to carry out is by just gently squeezing the sides. And when I squeeze the sides, I am actually looking over the top of the helmet here to see if there are any sort of ridges or cracks that are starting to open up. I can also do it from front to back, where I am just giving it a gentle squeeze again. And again, I am looking for the same thing. Once I have had a little look around it like that and given it a gentle squeeze around, quick visual would be to make sure that these four points here on the helmet, because that is what comes from the manufacturer, must be in place. So, if one of these was to break off, it means I cannot wear the helmet.

Once I have done my little checks around the outside, I need to go to the inside of the helmet. And the inside of the helmet here is very much the same as if I am inspecting a harness. Because I have got webbing inside, I need to make sure that that webbing is in good condition. The clip where the actual helmet joins together, making sure that that works fully and there is no damage done there where that could accidentally come undone. Also, I need to make sure that the cradle inside is in good condition and that it will adjust.

On this particular helmet, I have two wheels on the sides of the helmet, just where my fingers are pointing here. That actually it allows me to adjust the cradle to either tighten it or loosen it around the head. As you can see there, I can actually move the wheels around and you can actually see the cradle starting to come in or out.

Once I had had a look around the outside of the helmet and I have done all my checks there, and also on the inside of the helmet, we then have to think about how we are going to put it on and how it is worn correctly.