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Hard hat for working at height

Updated: October 2026

A ground hard hat feels wrong the first time you look up a scaffold or step into a MEWP, because the shell that was fine under a falling fitting may leave your head if you tip. A hard hat for working at height is the helmet that stays on for the task the assessment named, not the helmet with height in the title. Prices are on the [construction helmet comparison](/hub/occupational-safety/construction-helmet). The releasing strap and the holding strap are explained on [EN 397 versus EN 12492](/hub/occupational-safety/construction-helmet/sub/construction-helmet-en-397-vs-en-12492). How you set the wheel, and when a struck shell is finished, is on [how to wear a hard hat](/hub/occupational-safety/construction-helmet/sub/construction-helmet-how-to-wear). We used HSE’s GEIS6 leaflet, JSP’s chin-strap note, and the amazon.co.uk pages from 19 October 2026. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

A ground hard hat feels wrong the first time you look up a scaffold or step into a MEWP, because the shell that was fine under a falling fitting may leave your head if you tip.

Our top picks

Portwest Portwest PS63 vented height helmet

Best overall

Portwest Portwest PS63 vented height helmet
7.8/10about £15.98
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Portwest Portwest PS53 hard hat, pack of 2

Alternative

Portwest Portwest PS53 hard hat, pack of 2
8.1/10about £15.98
View offer
HEARMOR HEARMOR Mervex Vent Air with lamp

Alternative

HEARMOR HEARMOR Mervex Vent Air with lamp
6.5/10about £59.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What changes when you leave the ground
  2. 2.The mark to look for
  3. 3.What this amazon set actually offers
  4. 4.When you should not decide alone

What changes when you leave the ground

On the ground, a strap that releases if it snags can be the safer behaviour. Explainers put that EN 397 release around 150–250 N. On a scaffold, a roof, or a rope, the question is whether the helmet is still there when you move. JSP’s note says an EN 12492 strap is tested not to break or stretch at 500 N, while the EN 397 strap releases. SMI puts the holding strap with height and the releasing strap with ground work. HSE does not require EN 12492 on every scaffold. A method can name EN 397, EN 12492, both, or Type 2. A hire firm that asks for both is stating its own rule. A shell that only passed an EN 397 test is not both marks. HSE’s GEIS6 says a hard hat on a MEWP, with or without a chin strap, where appropriate, plus a harness so you do not fall from a boom. The harness and the helmet are different, and the leaflet does not say EN 12492 only. A falling object can match a releasing strap. A fall or a swing cannot. CIS50’s note about wind can still be a releasing strap. Off-ground chainsaw work is the specific HSE line: EN 12492. On the ground, an industrial helmet can still be allowed. A peakless shell does not decide that.

The mark to look for

Look for EN 12492 printed as the certification when the assessment wants off-crown protection and a strap that holds. Look for Type 2 if the method uses the 2025 industrial split BSIF describes. This set has no Type 2 label. Do not promote a peakless EN 397 helmet into Type 2 because you look up in it. The PS63 and PS53 are peakless so the brim stays out of your eyes. That does not change the strap force. If the shell does not say EN 12492 or Type 2, you do not have those claims. Climbing style on a title is not a certificate. A vented shell with a short peak can be an ordinary EN 397 helmet. Electrical work at height does not vanish because you picked a holding strap. A vented Class C shell is conductive. Live work still needs the insulation class on the shell.
Portwest Portwest PS63 vented height helmet

Testsieger

Portwest Portwest PS63 vented height helmet
7.8/10about £15.98
View offer

What this amazon set actually offers

Only the HEARMOR Mervex, about £59.99, states EN 12492. It is vented ABS with an EPS liner, listed at 550 g, with a ratchet and a rechargeable lamp. It also says it passed an EN 397 shock and penetration test. Keep those sentences apart. Across 4.4 from 82 reviews, people like the helmet and dislike the lamp. The holder does not lock. One reviewer lost the lamp at height. Another says the torch lasts about 30 minutes. If EN 12492 is why you came, this is the only row that claims it, and you should plan a lamp that locks. The Portwest height names are EN 397. The PS63, about £15.98, is orange, vented, peakless, with a Y-style strap, a 52–63 cm wheel, and ANSI Class C. Reviews at 4.6 from 509 mention the strap meeting a site rule and a rear strap that is too long. Class C means you do not take it to a live conductor. Height endurance is not EN 12492. The scraped URL differs from the details ASIN. The PS53, about £15.98, is a pack of two, black, peakless, with EN 50365 Class 0 and ANSI Class E claimed. It is the electrical shell, not the mountaineering one. Reviews at 4.4 from 2,540 say it can sit high and that the strap will not shorten. One account describes a helmet falling from scaffolding and breaking. Retire a struck shell. That story is not an EN 12492 test. The 907 g line matches a pair, so do not treat £15.98 as one shell. The JSP, Centurion, PS54, and the visor kits are still EN 397, or, for the forest kit, no EN number. A strap you add yourself does not change that. If the assessment is a falling object and GEIS6 has been read as with or without, an EN 397 helmet with its own strap can be what the site asked for. If it is a fall, a swing, or off-ground chainsaw work, look for EN 12492. In this set that is the Mervex, and the lamp mount is the fault you do not ignore.

When you should not decide alone

Ask the site lead when the method names a mark your shell does not show: EN 14052, Type 2, both EN 397 and EN 12492, or an insulation class. A white colour and a four-point strap are not a translation of those words. Also stop when the helmet has already been struck. A significant impact finishes the shell. The PS53 scaffolding review illustrates it and is not a performance claim. If the hat is still too big at the tightest hole, another colour will not hold you. Fit it on the ground. If the Mervex lamp leaves the mount in your hand, change the lamp before you climb. GEIS6’s harness is outside this product. A hard hat does not arrest a fall from a boom. If the platform needs a harness, that is arranged as the leaflet describes, and the helmet is still chosen for the head injury that remains.

Common questions

Does every scaffold need EN 12492?
No. HSE requires suitable head protection where a risk remains. EN 12492 is the mark for staying on and for side blows, including off-ground chainsaw work. A site can still specify EN 397, or both. Read the method rather than assuming every UK scaffold is written up as mountaineering.
What does HSE say about a chin strap on a MEWP?
GEIS6 says a hard hat with or without a chin strap, where appropriate, after a risk assessment, plus a harness so you do not fall from a boom. It does not mandate EN 12492. A falling-object risk can match an EN 397 helmet. A fall or a swing points at a strap that holds.
Which amazon listing in this set claims EN 12492?
The HEARMOR Mervex, about £59.99. It is vented, with an EPS liner and a lamp. Reviews say the holder does not lock and that a lamp was lost at height. Passed an EN 397 test on the same page is not EN 397 certification.
Are the Portwest height helmets EN 12492?
No. The PS63 and PS53 are peakless EN 397 helmets with chin straps. The PS63 is vented and ANSI Class C, which is conductive. The PS53 claims EN 50365 Class 0 and is sold as a pack of two. Height in the range name is not the mountaineering standard.
Will a peakless shell protect me better in a fall?
It lets you look up without a brim in the way. Protection depends on the standard and on the strap staying done up. A peakless EN 397 shell is still EN 397. Only a printed EN 12492, or a Type 2 mark this set does not have, changes the off-crown claim.
What if the lamp falls off while I am working at height?
Come down and sort the light on the ground. On the Mervex, the holder does not lock and a lamp was lost during height work. Do not keep climbing with the torch swinging. Use a mount that locks. A lost lamp is an accessory fault. It does not change the helmet mark.
Should the chin strap release or hold?
Release, in the EN 397 design, when a snag would be worse than losing the hat. Hold, in the EN 12492 design, when losing the hat in a fall is worse. The PS54, PS63, and PS53 straps are on EN 397 listings. Wearing them tighter does not make them holding straps. If the method names a mark you cannot see, ask the site lead.

Related pages

Safety glasses

Construction helmet

Best construction hard hat: who each listing is for

Hard hat buying guide: standard, vent and service life

EN 397 vs EN 12492: crown blow or strap that holds

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

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)