Occipital Protection in Construction Helmets : Design and Evaluation of an Improved Retention System

Sammanfattning

As society places increasing demands on safety, new challenges regarding head protection continue to emerge. Although industrial safety helmets are widely used within construction and industrial environments, research and development concerning protection against backward falls and impacts to the occipital region remain limited. Slips, trips, and falls are common within these sectors and can lead to serious head injuries, particularly to the back of the head. Current industrial safety helmets largely lack specifically designed protection for these types of impacts, affecting both individuals and society through increased healthcare demands and work-related absence. This master’s thesis explores potential solutions for improved occipital protection in industrial safety helmets. Conducted in collaboration with Mips at Luleå University of Technology, the project followed a Triple Diamond design process consisting of exploration, ideation, and prototyping, with a strong focus on iterative development and user-centered design. The project investigated how the rear adjustment system of industrial safety helmets could be redesigned, integrated, or replaced to absorb linear impact energy and thereby reduce the risk and severity of head injuries caused by backward falls. At the same time, the development focused on maintaining comfort, fit, ventilation, sustainability, and manufacturability without compromising safety or functionality. The work began with literature studies, benchmarking, and user research to establish an understanding of the problem, user needs, and existing solutions within industrial safety helmets and adjacent helmet categories. This was followed by an extensive ideation process in which concepts were generated and evaluated based on parameters such as energy absorption, comfort, robustness, ventilation, usability, and degree of innovation. The project resulted in several concepts for improved occipital protection, of which three primary concepts were further developed through CAD modeling, material exploration, and iterative prototyping. Focus was placed on reducing stress concentration caused by traditional rear adjustment dials and instead distributing impact loads across larger energy-absorbing surfaces. Prototypes were primarily manufactured using 3D printing and evaluated through physical impact testing to assess energy absorption, usability, and comfort. The results indicate significant potential in integrating energy-absorbing functionality into helmet retention systems to improve protection against backward falls. The project also demonstrates that user acceptance and familiarity are important factors within conservative industries such as construction, meaning that innovation must be balanced with existing user behaviors and expectations. The work contributes knowledge within a relatively underexplored field and establishes a foundation for the continued development of safer and more sustainable industrial safety helmets with improved occipital protection.