Centurion Safety Products has signed a deal to adopt the multi-directional impact protection system patented by Swedish helmet technology company Mips.
Mips helmet technology has been around for 20 years and is used by equestrians, skiers and cyclists in their safety helmets to add protection against rotational motion transferred to the brain. But this is a first for construction hard hats.
The Centurion Nexus with Mips helmet technology launches in March 2021, making Centurion the first UK manufacturer to offer Mips helmet technology in a hard hat and the first company globally to incorporate the new Mips ‘cradle’ rotational impact protection system into its helmets.
In contrast with helmets that use only a foam liner to reduce impact shock, the Centurion Nexus has a liner and six-point cradle system, which acts as a secondary layer, offering additional head protection.
It is designed to decrease any rotational motion transferred to the head from oblique impacts. The Mips Low Friction Layer allows the head to move inside the helmet – 10-15 mm relative motion in all directions – on certain angled impacts, which can redirect the harmful rotational motion otherwise transferred to the head. [See mipsprotection.com/how-mips-works for further details.]
Studies show that the human brain is six or seven times more sensitive to rotational motion than linear motion, Centurion says. Impacts that generate rotational motion can cause strain to the brain tissue, which may lead to minor or severe brain trauma. Concussion injuries or even more serious brain injuries are commonly caused by rotational motion of the brain.
Nick Hurt, chief executive of Centurion Safety Products, said: “As leaders in above-the-neck PPE, our customers trust us to be at the forefront of head protection innovation so we are constantly looking at how we can ensure our products not only meet relevant safety standards but exceed them.
“We are therefore excited to become the first company to incorporate the Mips cradle rotational impact protection system into our helmets. The Mips system will be featured in our market-leading Centurion Nexus helmet, which is already a stand-out product thanks to its advanced safety standards.”
Mips chief executive Max Strandwitz added: “We know that construction workers are particularly at risk for accidents, especially head injuries. For people who take a high risk because of their occupation, the best possible helmet at work should also be a priority. Protection against rotational motion should be as important for safety helmets as airbags and seatbelts are in cars."
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