Chainsaw Helmet Lifespan [How To Check & Extend It]

According to the general rule, all safety helmets need to be replaced after 3 years of usage. There isn’t any expiry date written on the helmet at all. Based on the manufacturing date, you can calculate the estimate expiry date.

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All handymen know that safety is paramount. This is tenable in lumbering and all chainsaw-related tasks.

The Helmet is one of the key safety items that you must use when using chainsaws to work.

Just like everything else, safety gears like helmets also have an expiration date, which is necessary to discourage their usage for a long time to minimize the safety risk.

But unlike meat or bread, the expiry date on hard hats or safety helmets is a little complex.

what is Chainsaw Helmet

A chainsaw helmet is a type of safety helmet designed to provide protection for the head, face, and ears while cutting and felling trees with chainsaws or other similar tools.

It is typically made of durable materials and includes a visor shield to keep dust and debris out of the face, as well as ear protection to block out tool and engine sound noise for hearing protection.

Some chainsaw helmets also include mesh face visors for added protection. Chainsaw helmets are designed to meet safety standards such as ANSI Z89.1-2009 and EN397:1995 Class E, G & C standards.

They are commonly used by professionals such as arborists, forestry workers, and landscapers who work with chainsaws and other cutting tools that require face, ear, eye, and head protection.

What is the expiry date of the Helmet?

Actually, there isn’t any expiry date written on the helmet at all.

You have to calculate the date based on the manufacturing date that is etched on the helmet.

According to the general rule, all safety helmets need to be replaced after 3 years of usage.

However, if there is any wear & tear or damage, you should replace it immediately.

Where to find the expiry date

The tricky point is that the date isn’t etched or engraved like normal, it is done in a rather different manner.

Instead of the regular stickers, the manufacturing stamp is raised plastic that you will find on the inside of the helmet, right in the centre.

It is in a clock form that is very easy to read.

Here is how you can read the manufacturing stamp;

• Identify the stamp, it is similar to a clock face, with numbers 1-12 spread along its perimeter.
• The number represent the month of manufacture. For example, 1 is for January and 12 is for December.
• The arrow points at the month the helmet was manufactured in. If it is pointed at 3, it means it was manufactured in march.
• The year is stamped in the centre of the clock-like figure. If it says 15 in the center, it means your helmet was made in March 2015.
• Based on this you can calculate the expiry date of your helmet like in the above case, the hard hat expired in march 2018.

It is necessary to mention that there could be a different way the dates are stamped in different countries but the above one is the standard procedure in most countries.

How to Know Whether Your Helmet Has Expired?

Everybody knows that most of the products have manufacture date and expiry date printed on them.

But its strange news that although Helmets have manufacture date but have no expiry date.

Let us find some good adopted ways the people utilize whether their helmet has been expired or not.

This knowledge about helmets will help to make a wise decision according to your budget.

You can buy a new helmet or replace the old, after reading about tips and tricks.

You should know the following great instructions, which will be beneficial not only to your pocket but also for your health in case of head injuries and wounds.

Calculate the Date of Issue of the Helmet

Keenly observe the date when you get it from your company or your workplace.

Remember when you got it from a shop and when you started to wear it to your work.

This method is easy to determine the date of manufacture.

Check the Clock-Like Symbol

With this clock, you can check the manufactures date.

The clock inside the helmet is similar to an analog Clock. Instead of minute and hour needles, there is a pointing arrow.

You may know this is the manufacture date exactly.

Year of Manufacturer

This note is very tricky to get info about the manufacturing year of any safety helmet.

Usually, it is on the face-side of the shad of any helmet.

It’s not a full written year, but you have to be assuming: for example, if there is 13, it’s confirmed that the manufacture date is 2013.

Symbols Check

All you should know, that not every manufacturing company or government has fixed regulations regarding the dates.

One should search for the symbols in the shape of lines like II or III, dots, or maybe a square.

What is the proper timeframe for using the Helmet?

It is popularly accepted that the lifespan of a helmet is 3 years, but will it function effectively till the expiration date?

Many people usually misconceive that you can use the helmet till expiration date, but it is pertinent to highlight that the expiration date is only but the maximum date that the helmet can be used.

It is categorically stated on the manufacturer’s guideline. The expiration date is not necessary the replacement date.

Helmets are generally designed to be resistive to knocks, falls and high impacts.

It can fall or drop to the floor at any time.

More so, the helmet is usually exposed to harsh weather when it is worn.

According to e manufacturers, it is advisable to replace your chainsaw helmet once it faces a huge impact.

After impacts, you may not notice a crack or breakage on the helmet, but you should replace the helmet immediately is experiences a fall or impact.

The date of replacement of your helmet is not fixed.

It depends on two key factors – the manufacturing and the things that happen to the helmet.

Once you buy a new Helmet for your chainsaw, you should take note of the manufacturing date and the date of first use.

Need may arise for you to replace your helmet on day one if you are not careful.

More so, what happens to your helmet depends on circumstances and how careful you are.

For instance, a heavy stone may fall on your helmet and it crashes just after two months of use.

You have to stop using it immediately and your replacement date will be two months. Always check your helmet for cracks, scratches, and holes.

Storing up your helmet will not help either because the same rule applies for helmets that have never been used.

Helmet is made of plastic and will degrade with time, so storing it up for a long time will increase the rate of degradation.

So, avoid using old helmets because helmet is designed to withstand hard knocks, falls and impacts, but when it degrades, it would crack once it experiences a slight knock or impact.