You do your best to stay safe on site, but what if your hard hat isn’t protecting you in the way you think?
Most helmets are designed to handle direct, vertical impacts, like something falling straight onto your head. Yet, many real-life accidents aren’t so straightforward. When your head twists or rotates during a fall or collision, it puts you at risk of a serious brain injury.
As we approach Hard Hat Awareness Week 2025 (9–15 June), it’s the perfect time to take a closer look at how your helmet performs, and whether it’s truly giving you the protection you need against rotational forces.
How linear impact tests work: understanding BS EN 397
When you see a hard hat marked as BS EN 397 compliant, it means it’s passed the UK’s basic safety standard for industrial helmets. But what exactly does that test involve?
BS EN 397 focuses on linear impacts, mostly from objects falling vertically onto the top of your head. During testing, a helmet is struck with a set weight dropped from a height, checking how well it absorbs energy. The test also looks at:
- Penetration resistance: Can sharp objects pierce the shell?
- Strap anchorage: Will the straps hold secure during impact?
These tests ensure your helmet offers a solid first line of defence against falling tools or debris. But there’s a major gap: BS EN 397 doesn’t test for angled or rotational impacts — the kind of forces that occur if you slip, fall sideways, or are hit at an angle.
Rotational forces: the overlooked danger on site
Most head injuries on construction sites aren’t caused by objects falling neatly from above. Instead, they often involve complex, twisting movements known as rotational forces. These can cause serious damage inside the brain.
When your head rotates suddenly during a fall or impact, the brain can move and twist inside the skull. This creates two dangerous effects:
- DAI (Diffuse Axonal Injury): Stretching and tearing of brain tissue, which can lead to unconsciousness or long-term brain damage.
- CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy): Long-term degeneration often linked to repeated head trauma.
On-site, these forces can be triggered by everyday incidents: a scaffold fall where your head snaps sideways, a swinging tool striking your helmet at an angle, or a slip that spins you awkwardly before impact.
Standard hard hats aren’t designed to manage this kind of motion, which is why rotational impact head protection is becoming so important.
Helmet technologies for rotational protection
Helmet technology for rotational protection is evolving. New designs now offer better protection against rotational forces, giving you an extra layer of safety beyond what standard hard hats provide.
While all rotational systems aim to reduce the twisting motion of the head during impact, they approach the problem in different ways.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the leading options available today.
MIPS (Multi-Directional Impact Protection System)
MIPS stands for Multi-Directional Impact Protection System — one of the most widely used technologies for rotational protection.
Inside the helmet, a low-friction liner allows a small amount of controlled movement between the head and the shell during angled impacts. This helps reduce the rotational acceleration transferred to your brain.
Compared to traditional helmets, which stay fixed and transmit more rotational force, MIPS-equipped helmets can absorb and redirect some of that dangerous twisting energy.
That’s especially useful for construction tasks where falls, slips or swinging objects create off-centre impacts – exactly the kind of accidents that standard tests like BS EN 397 don’t fully account for.
This is one of the key differences when comparing MIPS vs. BS EN 397 hard hat performance. While BS EN 397 focuses on vertical impacts, MIPS offers additional protection against rotational forces often seen in real-world site accidents.
Alternative systems (EPP foam, 3D mesh liners)
While MIPS is well-known, it’s not the only approach to rotational impact head protection. Several manufacturers are developing alternative technologies that offer similar benefits.
- EPP foam (Expanded Polypropylene): This energy-absorbing material is designed to deform slightly under impact, helping to reduce both linear and rotational forces.
- Wave and 3D mesh liners: These flexible inner layers are engineered to move and compress during angled impacts, dispersing force and reducing head rotation.
- Multi-density liners: Some helmets combine foams of different densities to better absorb a wider range of impacts.
The key takeaway? The industry is innovating rapidly, offering more options than ever to help protect workers against rotational brain injuries.
Brands & standards to look for
If you’re responsible for choosing PPE and researching for the best hard hat for rotational injuries in the UK, these are excellent options with built-in rotational protection technology:
- Arco offers a growing range of MIPS-equipped models for industrial use.
- Centurion Optima integrates rotational protection technology for work at height and complex site environments.
- BS EN 12492 (originally for mountaineering helmets) includes side-impact testing and can offer better all-around protection for roles like roofing, scaffolding, or tower work.
At present, there’s no mandatory UK regulation requiring rotational protection, so it’s up to safety managers and employers to be proactive. By choosing helmets that address both linear and rotational forces, you’re giving your team stronger protection against serious injury.
Is paying more for rotational protection worth it?
At first glance, helmets with rotational protection can seem expensive. They often cost £20 to £50 more than standard BS EN 397 models. But when you weigh that against the potential cost of a serious head injury, the price difference starts to look very small.
A single head injury can lead to long-term health problems, time off work, expensive medical care and even permanent disability. For employers, it can mean lost productivity, legal claims and higher insurance costs.
If you’re already investing in high-quality PPE, rotational protection is a natural next step. And remember: even with advanced helmets, regular inspections remain essential. For guidance, see our Helmet Inspection Checklist.
And if you’ve already suffered a head injury at work, our compensation calculator can help you estimate what you may be entitled to. It’s quick, simple and completely free to use.
How to build rotational safety into your PPE strategy
If you’re responsible for site safety, adding rotational impact head protection doesn’t have to be complicated – but it does require a clear policy.
Start by reviewing your Risk Assessments and Method Statements (RAMS). Look at tasks where slips, falls, or side impacts are more likely, such as roofing, scaffolding, tower work or working near moving machinery. For these roles, rotational protection should be a priority.
You might update your PPE requirements to say:
‘All roofers, scaffolders and high-risk workers must wear BS EN 12492 or MIPS-equipped hard hats.’
Training is also key. Make sure staff understand why these helmets are being introduced and how to check them for damage.
A smarter approach to head protection in 2025
Rotational impact head protection is a smarter, more responsible way to protect workers from some of the most serious head injuries seen on UK sites.
As Hard Hat Awareness Week 2025 reminds us, prevention starts with the right equipment. By choosing helmets that address both linear and rotational forces, you’re helping to reduce risks that many workers don’t even realise exist.
If you do need to make a claim, remember at Injury Lawyers 4u, we work on a no win no fee basis – so there’s no financial risk in seeking the support you need. We know how devastating head injuries can be, and how confusing safety choices sometimes feel. You don’t have to navigate it alone. Our friendly team is here to help if you need legal advice or support after a workplace accident.