Studson, the safety headgear equipment manufacturer, unveils its new SHK-1 Full-Brim ANSI Type II Safety Helmet at the American Society of Safety Professionals’ annual conference and expo this week in San Antonia, Texas. 

The new full-brim helmet represents the first of its kind in the Type II safety helmet category, the company said in a June 5 news release. The Studson SHK-1 Full-Brim safety helmet is designed to “…prevent traumatic brain injuries [TBIs], featuring technologies to absorb impacts from fall-related injuries on any jobsite; it is the only full-brim safety helmet that complies with American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z89.1 Type I and II safety standards,” the release said, in part.

Compliance with those safety standards means it is designed to reduce force due to impacts to the front, back, sides, and the top of the head. Studson noted that most existing hard hats are only Type I compliant, meaning they are only rated to protect the head from falling objects.  

“In the U.S. construction industry, 68 percent of TBIs1 are caused by work-related falls, yet traditional hard hat systems are only designed to protect against falling objects, leaving a significant safety gap that STUDSON addresses,” said Ryan Barnes, founder and CEO, of Studson. 

“We developed the SHK-1 Full-Brim safety helmet as an extension of our leading SHK-1 safety helmet to provide the industry with our safest helmet style yet,” Barnes added. “[This will] better protect workers from the elements, offering more shade from the sun and redirecting rainfall away from the face and neck.”  

Studson said the new SHK-1 full-brim helmet is designed with existing safety technology from the SHK-1 helmet model, including “Koroyd welded tube polymer” for absorbing impact. The company stressed how Koroyd material also improves heat dissipation and venting via its cellular-structure design.

“The embedded twICEme technology digitally integrates a wearer’s vital health data within the helmet,” the company release stated. “In the event of an emergency, that data is accessible via a smartphone NFC chip reader viewable through an SMS text message or the twICEme app for iOS or Android devices.”  

“With Studson’s mission to continue [advancing] helmet safety for the job site, it felt natural to accompany them on this journey,” says Chris Ellerby, director of industrial safety at Koroyd. “We are excited to innovate together … providing unrivaled helmet breathability within an ultralight form factor for the STUDSON SHK-1 Full-Brim safety helmet.”  

For more information, visit studson.com.

Attendees may see the helmet in person for the first time at this week’s ASSP Safety Conference and Expo, June 5 -7, 2023, in San Antonio, Texas, at Booth No. 413