Helmets – Standards, Certification
and Regulations
Ian Brodie, MSc.
Project Manager
September 19, 2006
Smart Risk Learning Series
Agenda
•
Helmets
 Types of Helmets
 How helmet absorbs an impact
•
Standards
 What is a standard?
 Standards system in Canada
 Who develops standards
•
Helmet Standards
 Common requirements
 Comparison of bicycle helmet standards
•
Certification
 Types of certification
•
Helmet Regulations in Canada
2
Helmets
•
Two types of helmets
 Single impact
 Multi-impact
•
Components of a helmet




Outer shell
Liner
Retention system
Comfort padding/adjustment system
3
Types of Helmets
4
Components of a Helmet
•
Outer shell




•
Increases the area over which the force is dissipated
Aids in letting the helmet side along the surface during an impact
Holds the liner together during an impact
Helps prevent the penetration of sharp objects
Liner
 Absorbs the force of an impact by deforming
•
Retention system
 keeps the helmet on your head
•
Comfort padding/adjustment system
 Assists in fitting the helmet properly
5
Overview of Standards
•
Standards in general
 information documents
 stipulate requirements for the safety, performance and
operation of products, processes, services and
systems
 outline industry guidelines and good practices
 represent minimum requirements
 are voluntary; compliance becomes mandatory only
when the standards are referenced in legislation or
regulation
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Types of Standards
•
•
•
•
Organization Standards (e.g. CSA)
National Standards of Canada
Bi/Tri-nation Standards
International Standards (ISO, IEC)
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What can Standards Do?
•
Standards serve a variety of market perfecting
purposes
 product uniformity
 establish consistent technologies
 promote compatibility of products
 ensure desired quality and performance levels
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National Standards System
•
Independent organizations accredited by the
Standards Council of Canada
•
Standards Development, Certification,
Testing, and Registration
•
Members must be impartial and technically
competent
•
SCC operates accreditation programs
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Standards Development
Organizations
National Standards System
Standards Council of Canada
SCC
BNQ
UL
CSA
CGSB
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Helmet Standards
•
Impact testing
 Helmet is placed on a headform, equipped with an
accelerometer and dropped from a defined height
 The helmet will be impacted at various locations (e.g.,
crown, front, side, rear)
 The accelerometer will measure how well the helmet
attenuates the impact
 The standard will define the pass/fail criteria for the
acceleration reading (e.g., 275 g, were 1 g =9.8 m/s2)
 Helmets are tested at different temperatures
11
Helmet Standards – drop rig
Key
1 base
2 anvil
3 velocity sensor
4 headform
5 follower mechanism
6 monorail
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Helmet standards – drop rig
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Helmet Standard – area of
coverage
•
Specifies the area that a helmet must cover
on a headform
•
Area of coverage differs between
 Standards for the same type of helmet (e.g., cycling)
 Different types of helmets (e.g., hockey vs. cycling)
14
Helmet Standards – area of
coverage
Hockey Helmet
Cycling Helmet
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Helmet Standards – retention
system
•
A force is applied to the retention system to
assess
 If the fastener releases
 The elongation of the retention system
16
Helmet Standards - retention
system
Test Apparatus
17
Helmet Standards – Other Tests
•
Stability test
 Assesses the ability of the helmet to stay on the
headform
 Used in the CSA cycling helmet standard
•
Penetration test
 Object of defined sized is inserted into opening in the
shell to see if contact can be made with the headform
 Used in the CSA hockey helmet standard
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Certification
•
Two types of certification
 Third party certification
 is undertaken by an organization that is independent of the
manufacturer seeking certification.
 Self certification
 the manufacturer or producer himself takes responsibility for
certifying conformity of the product.
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Certification – Third Party
•
An accredited third party test lab verifies
product meets the standard
•
There are annual reviews/inspection of
production product to confirm product is still
meeting the standard
•
The lab issues the manufacturer certification
labels to affix to the product
•
There are costs to the manufacturer to
receive third party certification
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Certification - labels
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Certification – Self Certification
•
The manufacturer is giving assurance that
the product conforms to a specific standard
•
For industry, self certification means
 Decreased costs
 Avoids the duplication of testing when the product is
being sold in different countries
 Reduces the regulatory burden
22
Certification - Helmets
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Third party certification
 CSA
 SNELL
•
Self certification
 ASTM
 CPSC
 DOT
•
For the most part, helmets available for sale
are self certified by the manufacturer
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Which Helmet for Which Activity
Source: City of Ottawa
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Multi-purpose helmets
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There are
 Manufacturers making claims that their helmets meet
multiple standards (e.g. CPSC bicycle helmet
standard and the ASTM F1492 Skateboard helmet
standard)
 Standards where the scope states the intended use is
for more than one type of recreational activity (e.g.,
SNELL standard for Non-motorized vehicles, CEN
1078, Helmets for pedal cyclists and for users of
skateboards and roller skates )
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Regulations and Market Realities
in Canada
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Regulations
 Hazardous Products Act (Health Canada)
 as it relates to consumer products, consists of two parts.
Items included in Part I of Schedule I are banned from
import, sale, or advertisement in Canada. Products included
in Part II of Schedule I must meet specific regulations in
order to be imported, sold or advertised in Canada.
 Provincial Traffic Acts
 provinces reference standards that a motorcycle or cycling
helmet must meet
•
Sport Governing Bodies
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Regulations and Market Realities
in Canada
•
Market realities
 Large percentage of helmet manufacturers are outside of
Canada
 For the most part, helmets are not required to meet any
standards
 Exceptions
 Hockey helmets (reference in Hazardous Products Act)
 Cycling helmets (where there is provincial legislation)
 Motorcycle helmets
 The industry’s preference is to self-certify their helmets
 The dominant standards being used are
 Hockey - CSA
 Cycling – CPSC
 Motorcycling – Department of Transportation (DOT)
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Questions and Comments
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