Safety Helmets Market

Market Overview

The global safety helmets market revenue was valued at USD 4.65 billion in 2023. It is expected to reach USD 9.06 billion in 2032, growing at a CAGR of 7.7% over the forecast period (2024-32). Growing awareness regarding safety standards and regulations across industries such as construction, manufacturing, and mining is a major driver. Companies and workers are increasingly emphasizing the importance of personal protective equipment (PPE) like safety helmets to prevent injuries.

Safety helmets can reduce or prevent head and brain injuries by shielding wearers from falling items, road debris, collisions with other objects, electric shock, and precipitation. Most head injuries can be prevented if the appropriate head protection is chosen, utilized, and maintained. Nearly all job sites and manual labor conditions require and strongly recommend wearing safety helmets. The most prevalent and basic type of PPE is an industrial safety helmet. Safety helmets have a hard shell that protects against impacts, an inner harness that fits snugly around the skull and provides padding between the interior of the shell and the wearer's head, a chinstrap that holds the helmet in place around the wearer's chin, and a sweatband that absorbs perspiration while the helmet is being worn. The ventilation vents allow air ventilation over the skull while working for extended periods and in hot environments.

Moreover, companies are increasingly investing in occupational safety measures to enhance worker productivity and reduce insurance costs associated with workplace accidents. This investment includes the procurement of high-quality safety helmets to ensure worker safety.

Top 4 Key Highlights

• Polyethylene dominates the material segment
• Hard hats dominate the product segment
• Construction dominates the end-user segment
• Europe is the highest shareholder in the global market

Market Dynamics

Global Safety Helmets Market Drivers

Rising Awareness Regarding Worker Safety

The rising prevalence of brain injuries across various industries and statutory restrictions have boosted worker safety awareness. Occupational safety regulations drive the personal protective equipment (PPE) market. Mandates by authorities to maintain worker safety across industries are estimated to boost the demand for personal protective equipment. In addition, the demand for high-performance safety helmets has witnessed significant growth in the manufacturing and construction sectors due to their shock absorption capabilities and ability to protect lateral shock characteristics.

Additionally, companies in the manufacturing industry are becoming more conscious of the necessity of worker safety and security at the workplace, owing to severe fines and high costs associated with workplace risks such as worker compensation, health expenses, and legal services. Factors such as rising GDP and employment in sectors across the Asia Pacific and Middle East have contributed positively toward increasing focus on worker safety. Thus, the rising awareness about employee safety across the globe is anticipated to have a positive impact on the safety helmet market.

New Construction Projects in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East

Manufacturing and construction projects in the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East are predicted to boost blue-collar employment. The demand for safety helmets is expected to grow due to the rising blue-collar employment in these regions over the forecast period. In addition, major improvements in lifestyle in emerging territories such as India and China are driving expanding industrialization and rising infrastructural projects, which are projected to stimulate the demand for safety helmets.

The Middle East will likely emerge as a profitable construction market because of favorable legislation to increase local industrial production in the automotive, petrochemical, and pharmaceutical industries. The increasing consumption of specialized polymers and textiles in the Middle East is attributed to expansion in the residential, automotive, FMCG, and healthcare sectors that have compelled the government to construct production facilities to meet the regional demand, thereby boosting the market expansion.

Global Safety Helmets Market Restraint

Low Awareness Regarding Employee Safety and Deliberate Negligence

In developing countries, the prevalence of regulatory bodies is relatively less, and set standards are held lightly, which has resulted in limited awareness about industrial safety equipment at large. Likewise, the lack of information regarding the types of helmets to be used under different conditions hampers the penetration of safety helmets. In countries like India, safety helmets are not frequently checked for their prevailing state and are kept in use well beyond their service life. It is anticipated that failure to follow regulations and practices, as well as the reuse of safety helmets, will limit market expansion for safety helmets.

Global Safety Helmets Market Opportunities

Technological Advancements in Safety Helmets

Increasing investments in R&D with a keen focus on product development has led safety helmet manufacturers to introduce helmets with advanced technology. Most end-user industries, such as construction and manufacturing, initially relied on hard hats. However, workers were reluctant to use hard hats as comfort, style, and convenience were neglected. In addition, safety helmets with improved designs and new features are introduced by helmet manufacturers. Companies have created smart helmets that use sensors to perform various functions thanks to the industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

Many businesses have devised techniques to keep employees awake, while others are working on shielding the brain from the angular acceleration that occurs during a head-on collision. For instance, in March 2021, Centurion Safety Products partnered with MIPS protection to launch its safety helmet with a brain protection system. As technological advancement increases in raw materials, design, and the use of different sensors to boost worker safety, end-users have started switching from hard hats to safety helmets. Such factors are expected to offer tremendous opportunities for market growth.

Regional Analysis

Based on region, the global safety helmet market is bifurcated into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Central and South America, and the Middle East and Africa.

Europe is the most significant global safety helmet market shareholder and is anticipated to exhibit a CAGR of 3.2% during the forecast period. The region is home to one of the most industrialized economies in the world and has seen relative stability in terms of annual growth rate. According to the IMF, with the outbreak of COVID-19 throughout Europe, the economic recovery post-2020 is sluggish. On the other hand, the quick vaccination drive and improved private spending are progressing, and Europe's GDP growth is expected to rebound by 4.5% in 2021, according to the IMF. In addition, the mining industry is among the major contributors to the region's economy. The EU, which has initiated Horizon 2020, will likely invest in the mining industry. For instance, six EU organizations collaborated and announced an investment of about USD 7.9 million in May 2020. The mining industry employs personal protective equipment to improve worker safety, which will likely create an upswing for the safety helmet market in the coming years.

Asia-Pacific is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 4.5% over the forecast period. A substantial increase in mergers and acquisitions, integration activities, and site relocations has boosted industrial development in the region. In addition, the rising demand for safety helmets across different end-user sectors such as construction, mining, oil and gas, food, and manufacturing is expected to impact the market growth positively. Increased manufacturing of safety helmets in emerging nations such as India, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia is likely to expedite the market in Asia-Pacific.

In addition, economic growth in India, China, and Southeast Asian countries has increased the demand for improved public infrastructure such as airports, roads, harbors, and rail transportation networks. The rising number of industrial fatalities across the developing economies in the region, coupled with the lack of proper protective gear and employee safety awareness, is expected to drive the market for safety helmets. Likewise, technological innovation, utilization of IoT, and changing customer preferences for head protection equipment are expected to complement market growth.

The recent U.S.–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA), which came into force in July 2020, replaced the old NAFTA agreement. The major changes in the USMCA agreement include greater incentives for automobile production in the U.S. (with reservations for Mexican and Canadian automotive production), increased environmental and working regulations, increased duty-free limits for Canadians purchasing U.S. goods online, and more access to the dairy market of Canada. The USMCA will likely create a mutually beneficial trading environment for the region, driving the global market. Free markets, fair trade, and robust economic growth are anticipated to impact regional growth positively in the coming years.

In addition, North America's oil and gas sector, especially in the U.S., is witnessing significant growth owing to the increasing shale gas operations across the region. As per the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the U.S. annual dry natural gas production in 2020 was about 33.4 trillion cubic feet (Tcf), the highest production to date. This expansion in shale gas activities is mostly driven by rising energy demand in the region, impacting the demand for safety equipment in the oil and gas and mining industry over the forecast period.

Central and South America is home to the most prominent mining industry. The conversion of some large open-pit mining operations to underground operations in the region is expected to offer significant opportunities for market growth. Recently, Anglo-American announced plans to invest up to USD 250 million in 2021 in expanding its Minas-Rio iron ore mine in Minas Gerais. New investments in the mining industry are also predicted to have a favorable impact on the safety helmet market growth.

In the Middle East, increasing construction activities and new oil & gas projects are anticipated to boost the safety helmet market growth. Similarly, increasing investments in aircraft manufacturing, textile machines, and fabricated metal goods are expected to boost the development of the regional manufacturing sector. Large-scale investments in Saudi Arabia's main oilfields, such as Ghawar and Shaybah, are also projected to play a substantial role in expanding the oil and gas sector, which, in turn, is anticipated to expedite the demand for safety helmets.

Segmental Analysis

The global safety helmet market is segmented by material, product, and end-user.

Based on material, the global safety helmet market is segmented into polyethylene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polycarbonate, and others. 

The polyethylene segment owns the highest market share and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.7% during the forecast period. Polyethylene safety helmets are also high-density polyethylene safety helmets and are well known for their superior tensile strength. These safety helmets are used in various industrial applications, including construction, sandblasting, agriculture, electric utility, welding, mining, chemical, nuclear, and oil refining. Safety helmets are made using injection-molded polyethylene foams, ensuring excellent head safety. However, their interior frequently contains closed-cell polyethylene for additional protection, safety, and comfort. Safety helmet shells have four, six, or eight points within them for a suspension system cushions the user's head from impact.

The growing usage of ABS helmets in sectors like power generation, oil and gas, and manufacturing is expected to witness acrylonitrile butadiene styrene segment growth over the forecast period. Compared to other types of helmets, safety products manufactured using ABS is easier to manufacture, strong, comfortable, and lightweight, besides having high impact resistance. In addition, ABS safety helmets are manufactured from high-quality and tough ABS material, which is hard plastic and more durable than any other polymer. Regulatory interventions in the form of stringent government regulations and increased emphasis on safety norms will create more demand for ABS helmets and the global safety helmet market.

Based on the product, the global safety helmet market is divided into hard hats and bump caps. 

The hard hats segment is the most significant contributor to the market and is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 3.92% over the forecast period. Hard hats are essential when working in sectors where there is a chance for injury to the head. Due to their wide construction, manufacturing, and mining applications, hard hats led the market with considerable impact resistance properties. Moreover, the ability of these hard hats to offer protection against electrical shocks while working near exposed electrical conductors is expected to drive the market over the forecast period. The hard hats segment is further bifurcated into Type I and Type II hard hats.

A bump cap is a lightweight hard hat manufactured from plastics or low-density polyethylene. It is used where the probability of bumping one's head on equipment prevails. Nevertheless, it is not sufficient to absorb a large impact. In addition, bump caps are appropriate for warehouses, auto repair shops, small-scale manufacturing companies, and food processing industries. The bump caps segment is further divided into soft and hard bump caps segments.

Based on end-user, the global safety helmet market is bifurcated into construction, manufacturing, mining, and others. 

The construction segment dominates the global market share and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.69% over the forecast period. The growth in the construction sector is attributed to increasing demand for better public infrastructure such as roadways, harbors, airports, and rail transport systems, thereby stimulating demand for safety helmets over the coming years. Increasing residential and non-residential building construction and rapid industrialization will impact the safety helmet market growth.

The mining industry is anticipated to remain a key end-user for the safety helmet market globally owing to the high level of industrial hazards. Decreasing mining rates increase offshore exploration and mining activities, thereby boosting the demand for the labor force. Likewise, regulatory bodies such as OSHA have set strict safety norms, making workers wear safety helmets while working with hazardous machines. Employers must abide by the set standards to ensure worker safety. These safety standards and norms implemented by OSHA, NIOSH, and NFPA are expected to augment the demand for safety helmets over the forecast period.

Recent Developments

• February 2024 - TAM presented the latest safety helmet to the industry. TAM's adoption of the "Tip of the Spear Safety initiatives" shows that it is obligated to protect its employees' security throughout the Middle East. The new safety helmet's procurement and deployment have improved worker protection and decreased the likelihood of accidents in the workplace.
• April 2024 - At FDIC International 2024, MSA Safety unveiled a fire helmet that is lighter and displays the newest linked technology. The new helmet is intended to increase firefighter performance and safety. It is made with increased comfort and durability in mind. Furthermore, MSA Safety showcased its integrated technological solutions, including functionalities for instantaneous observation and enhanced correspondence during firefighting operations.