Hello, I'm Justin Schutz, Product Manager here at Ergodyne for Head and Face Protection. I'm here today to talk about bump caps, which are more relevant than ever with a brand new standard released in January of 2025. ANSI/ISEA 100 is the first bump cap standard for the US market. It establishes a consistent guideline for classification, including test procedures and performance requirements for bump caps.

And it aims to reduce injuries caused by head impacts with stationary objects. Ergodyne started selling bump caps in 2013. There were other companies offering bump caps prior to that, but bump caps haven't been around for over a century the way hard hats have. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the 78,000 head injuries requiring a day away from work every year, only a small percentage happened on job sites where hard hats are required.

This means there's a huge opportunity to improve worker safety and reduce head injuries. Head protection often gets associated with hard hats, which are essential for protecting against falling objects and high impact hazards. But what about environments where the risk comes from low ceilings, hanging equipment or tight spaces? The solution there is bump caps.

Unlike hard hats, bump caps are designed to protect workers from minor head injuries caused by stationary objects like low hanging pipes, beams or other equipment. Built around a padded impact-resistant plastic shell, bump caps are lighter and more comfortable than hard hats, and they can often resemble a basic baseball cap. While bump caps are not suitable for areas where hard hats are required, they do provide critical protection against worker generated impacts, preventing nasty cuts and bruises. Let's go over a few things to consider when choosing a bump cap.

First, think about the job specific requirements. For example, mechanics might benefit from caps with shorter brims to improve visibility in tight spaces. You also want to consider comfort and fit features like padded foam, venting and adjustable sizing, which enhance the comfort for something you might be wearing all day. Some common applications for bump caps include mechanics working under vehicles or in tight spaces.

Airline workers navigating within aircraft holds or maintenance areas. In-home service technicians, such as cable or appliance employees, as well as those working under sinks or in crawl spaces. Manufacturing and assembly line workers who are exposed to low hanging machinery or shelving. And also food processing workers operating on fast moving lines and schedules as tight as the spaces they're in.

Ergodyne has a wide offering consisting of both textile and hard shell bump caps. Textile based bump caps have traditionally looked very similar to jockey caps, while more recent market introductions include baseball hat styles. In the case of both hardshell and textile based bump caps, there can be value in short or micro brim designs that allow more complete upward visibility and fit closer to the head to reduce the chance of interference with your surroundings when working in tight spaces. Like hard hats, bump caps have evolved over time to improve user experience, with higher levels of comfort, style, options and protection.

In addition to our wide selection of integrated solutions, Ergodyne also offers universal inserts. The beauty of an insert is that they allow a wide variety of headwear to be retrofitted with bump cap level protection. This includes winter beanies, trapper hats and bandanas. Head coverings like hijabs, even things like straw sun hats and turbans can be compatible with universal inserts.

Our patented trimmed to fit design allows you to easily trim with household scissors into smaller or unusually shaped headwear with the perfect fit. You simply trim along the marked line using household scissors and you can more easily fit the insert into a smaller hat. Now I'm going to highlight some of our newest innovations in bump caps. Our newest insert, the 8943FX, features a hinge design which allows hair to escape and lay flat, offering a non-bulky fit.

We've incorporated this design into specialized textile based bump caps such as the 8941, which features a tube to keep hair contained and out of the way. And the 8948, which is our most minimal style bump cap, mimicking how a bandana is worn while still accommodating the protection offered by the insert. We also offer this insert with a lightweight, breathable baseball style cap, as well as a ranger style sunhat for extra shaded protection. Our 8955 lightweight bump cap features a removable, washable and antimicrobial foam that allows additional airflow and helps keep sweat out of the eyes.

It is made from lightweight and breathable materials to maximize airflow, and it comes in three brim sizes that let you choose the look and feel that is right for your job. The micro brim offers upward visibility, while the long brim is great for blocking sun and bright overhead lighting. The short brim length offers the perfect combination of upward visibility and shade. All styles are available in black, navy and hi-vis lime.

We also offer this in a short or long brim style with button cell battery-powered LED lights. And now it is also available in both micro and long brim, featuring a USB rechargeable light puck. This is our first micro brim lighted bump cap. Our lineup with thermal bump caps utilize a zippered insert to keep your head warm, and the bump cap insert firmly in place.

We offer the trapper hat, a balaclava and two styles of winter beanies. And finally, our hardshell bump cap may look somewhat similar to a hard hat with the plastic shell, but they have a traditional strap style suspension but lower profile, lighter, and with obviously thinner gauge and less rigid shells. Our Ergodyne hardshell bump cap comes in both vented and unvented versions. They have a durable, easy to clean polyethylene shell and interior ventilated suspension system with removable sweatband.

A pivoting ratchet with large tabs for easy size adjustment, and the scoop sides are compatible with hearing protection. In both the vented and unvented versions. They're available in six colors: red, blue, green, orange, white and yellow. And with that, now you know a little bit more about bump caps and what we offer here at Ergodyne.