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EN 397 vs EN 12492

Updated: October 2026

Two white helmets on a scaffold can look like the same purchase until you read the chin strap and the mark in the shell. EN 397 vs EN 12492 is that split: a crown blow and a strap that should release if it snags, against off-crown blows and a strap that should hold. Neither mark is a universal upgrade. Listings and prices are on the [construction helmet comparison](/hub/occupational-safety/construction-helmet). Vents and service life are on the [hard hat buying guide](/hub/occupational-safety/construction-helmet/sub/construction-helmet-buying-guide). What you do with the choice on a scaffold or a MEWP is on the [hard hat for working at height](/hub/occupational-safety/construction-helmet/sub/construction-helmet-working-at-height). Joule and newton figures below are those explainers’ account, not a paste of the standard. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Two white helmets on a scaffold can look like the same purchase until you read the chin strap and the mark in the shell.

Our top picks

JSP JSP EVO2 vented slip-ratchet hard hat

Best overall

JSP JSP EVO2 vented slip-ratchet hard hat
8.2/10about £6.99
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Centurion Centurion full-peak non-vented hard hat

Best value

Centurion Centurion full-peak non-vented hard hat
7.7/10about £8.69
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HEARMOR HEARMOR Mervex Vent Air with lamp

Alternative

HEARMOR HEARMOR Mervex Vent Air with lamp
6.5/10about £59.99
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On this page
  1. 1.What each standard is for
  2. 2.Why the chin straps are opposite
  3. 3.What EN 397 still covers that EN 12492 may not
  4. 4.Type 1 and Type 2, and this set

What each standard is for

EN 397 is the industrial helmet for something falling onto the crown. Health & Safety Matters describes that crown test in the region of 50 J. Sides and back are not the main event. A peak, vents, and a wheel do not change the standard. Most shells in this amazon.co.uk set state EN 397 or EN 397:2012, which is the honest label for ground work where the risk is from above. EN 12492 is the mountaineering helmet. The same explainers describe a crown energy in the region of 100 J, plus off-crown impacts in the region of 25 J. The shape is often shorter at the peak because you look up. Uvex and Health & Safety Matters point ropes, towers, and some rescue work at this mark. HSE’s chainsaw page is narrower than any height: off the ground, EN 12492; on the ground, an industrial helmet can still be allowed. A climbing-style box is not the certificate. The number has to be printed. Only the Mervex, about £59.99, states EN 12492 certification. It also says it passed an EN 397 shock and penetration test. Passing a test is not certified to EN 397. The forest kit prints no EN number. EN 12492 is not always safer. It matches the blows and the retention it was tested for. A higher crown figure does not answer a snagged strap on moving plant.

Why the chin straps are opposite

An EN 397 chin strap is optional. When fitted, explainers say it should release under about 150–250 N, so a snag does not hang you by the neck. An EN 12492 strap is there to hold, and those explainers, and JSP’s own note, put that at about 500 N so the helmet stays on if you fall or swing. On the ground beside a telehandler, a strap that lets go can be the point of the design. On a scaffold or a rope, a strap that lets go is how the helmet leaves before the blow. A site can still ask for both marks. One hire firm’s height rule wants EN 397 and EN 12492 together. That is their rule, not a sentence HSE prints on every scaffold. You cannot get the holding behaviour by pulling an EN 397 strap tighter. The PS54, PS63, and PS53 include a four-point strap and still claim EN 397. Those straps stop a nodding fit. They are not, on the listing, an EN 12492 retention system. The JSP EVO2 states no strap. JSP’s EVO5 DualSwitch can change strap behaviour. It is not in this set.
JSP JSP EVO2 vented slip-ratchet hard hat

Testsieger

JSP JSP EVO2 vented slip-ratchet hard hat
8.2/10about £6.99
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What EN 397 still covers that EN 12492 may not

Industrial helmets can carry optional tests for molten metal, electrical insulation, and very low temperature. They are optional. A plain EN 397 mark does not include them unless the shell says so. Uvex’s buyer table does not treat EN 12492 as the home of those industrial options. A vented climbing helmet is a poor answer to a live cable. Electrical marks in this set sit on EN 397 listings, not on the Mervex. The Centurion is non-vented and claims EN 50365 without a class in the captured text. The PS54 claims EN 50365 and prints no class. The PS53 claims EN 50365 Class 0 and ANSI Class E, up to 1,000 V AC or 1,500 V DC, and it is not described as vented. The PS63 and the vented HEARMOR shells that say ANSI Class C are stating the conductive class. Class C is not insulation. The Mervex is vented and does not claim EN 50365. Choose EN 397 when the hazard is a falling object at ground level and a snagged strap would be worse. Choose EN 12492 when the assessment wants the helmet to stay on and to take side blows, including off-ground chainsaw work as HSE describes it. If the assessment is live work, neither name is enough. You need the insulation class on a matching shell.

Type 1 and Type 2, and this set

BSIF describes EN 397:2025 Type 1 as crown-focused, with an optional strap, and Type 2 as off-crown protection with a stronger mandatory strap. That is the gap people used to cross by specifying EN 12492 on a building site. The listings here still say EN 397 or EN 397:2012. Do not relabel a peakless 2012 shell as Type 2. The PS63 is sold as a height helmet and is still EN 397 plus Class C. The PS53 is peakless with an electrical class, and it is still not Type 2. If the method says Type 2, this set does not contain one. The only EN 12492 sentence in the comparison is the Mervex. UK reviews say the lamp holder does not lock and that a lamp was lost at height. The standard and the lamp are not one promise. There is no dual-marked helmet in the eleven listings. HSE does not require EN 12492 on every scaffold. It requires suitable protection where a risk remains.

Common questions

Which standard is for objects falling from above?
EN 397. Explainers describe a crown impact in the region of 50 J, and that is the mark most of this set prints. It is the starting point for ground work under a falling load. It is not, by itself, the mark for a side blow or for a strap that must hold in a fall.
Which chin strap is meant to release if it snags?
The EN 397 strap, when one is fitted. Explainers put the release around 150–250 N. The EN 12492 strap is meant to hold, around 500 N in those explainers and in JSP’s note. Tightening an EN 397 strap does not turn it into the holding kind.
Is EN 12492 always safer?
No. It covers off-crown blows and a strap that stays on, which matches a fall or a swing. It does not replace molten-metal or electrical options on industrial helmets. A vented EN 12492 shell is not an insulating helmet. Use the mark that matches the hazard.
Can a vented climbing helmet be used for electrical work?
Not as insulation. The Mervex is vented and claims EN 12492, not EN 50365. For a stated voltage, use a non-vented shell that prints the class, such as the PS53’s Class 0 claim, and read the shell in your hand. Vents and live conductors stay a bad pair.
What is EN 397:2025 Type 2?
BSIF describes Type 2 as off-crown protection and a mandatory stronger chin strap inside the industrial standard. Type 1 stays crown-focused. Listings here still say EN 397 or EN 397:2012. A peakless shape is not Type 2. If the method says Type 2, this basket does not supply it.
Does “passed an EN 397 test” mean certified?
No. The Mervex states EN 12492 certification and, separately, that it passed EN 397 shock and penetration tests. Certification is the claim against the whole standard. Do not write both numbers on your paperwork from that wording.
What does HSE say for chainsaw work off the ground?
HSE’s chainsaw page points off-ground work at BS EN 12492. On the ground, an industrial helmet can still be allowed, with the visor and hearing protection that page also expects. The forest kit in this comparison prints no EN number, so the title alone does not meet that sentence.

Related pages

Safety glasses

Construction helmet

Best construction hard hat: who each listing is for

Hard hat buying guide: standard, vent and service life

How to wear a hard hat: level, tight, then retire it

Hard hat for working at height: the shell that stays on

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 19 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file. The price bands are this set, not a market average.

  1. HSE: construction PPE FAQ (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. HSE: L25 PPE at work guidance (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. HSE: chainsaw PPE (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. HSE: PPE selection and use (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK: PPE enforcement regulations 2018 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. JSP: when to replace a safety helmet (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Health & Safety Matters: a head for safety (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Uvex UK: EN 397 and EN 12492 (retrieved 19 October 2026)