The Hard Hat Standard Added Type I+ and Type II+. Here Is What Changes.

11 minutes ago

5 min read

Pull a hard hat off the back of any truck on a jobsite and look inside the shell. There is a type designation and a date stamp molded into the plastic. On most crews, nobody has looked at either one since the hat was handed out.

That matters more than usual right now, because the standard behind those markings was revised. On September 11, 2026, the International Safety Equipment Association announced the release of ANSI/ISEA Z89.1-2026, the American National Standard for Industrial Head Protection. It adds two new optional classifications, Type I+ and Type II+, on top of the Type I and Type II designations that have been in place for years.

Here is what actually changed, what did not, and what a foreman should do about it.

What Type I and Type II Have Always Meant

Z89.1 classifies industrial head protection by where the impact comes from. Type I helmets are tested for impact to the top of the head. Type II helmets are tested for top impact and for lateral impact, meaning the front, back and sides. That distinction is why Type II is common on sites with significant struck-by exposure from equipment, swinging loads or elevated work, and why a basic Type I hard hat is still adequate for a great deal of general construction.

Separately, the standard assigns electrical classes: Class G for general use tested at 2,200 volts, Class E for electrical use tested at 20,000 volts, and Class C for conductive, meaning no electrical protection at all. Type and class are different axes. A hat can be Type I Class E, Type II Class G, and so on. Crews confuse the two constantly, and the confusion matters most where electrocution exposure on powered access equipment is in play.

The 2026 revision leaves Type I and Type II exactly as they were.

What Type I+ and Type II+ Add

The plus classifications are additive. They do not replace anything.

Type I+ keeps the Type I top impact requirement, adds chin strap performance testing and helmet retention testing, and expands impact testing to the front, back and sides of the head.
Type II+ keeps the Type II requirements, and adds the same chin strap performance testing and helmet retention testing.

The common thread is retention. Both new classes test whether the head protection stays on the head during and after an impact, which is the failure mode that a traditional suspension hard hat handles poorly. A hat that leaves the head in the first tenth of a second of a fall or a strike is not protecting anything for the rest of the event.

That is the same logic driving the shift toward climbing-style safety helmets on a lot of large projects. The 2026 revision does not mandate that shift. It gives it a tested benchmark, so a specification can now name a performance class instead of a product style.

Nothing You Own Just Became Non-Compliant

This is the part that gets garbled in the retelling, so it is worth being blunt about it.

The plus classifications are optional. Head protection that met the previous edition of Z89.1 remains compliant equipment. ISEA's own guidance is that employers should keep selecting head protection based on job specific hazards, because the enhanced classifications will not be necessary in every workplace.

OSHA's requirement did not change either. 29 CFR 1926.100 requires head protection where there is a danger of head injury from impact, falling or flying objects, or electrical shock and burns, and it incorporates specific earlier editions of Z89.1 by reference. A new ANSI revision does not automatically become the OSHA requirement. An employer choosing Type I+ or Type II+ is making a specification decision, not resolving a compliance gap.

Where it will show up first is in owner and general contractor specifications. Project safety requirements routinely reference ANSI standards by edition, and the ones written after this revision will start naming the plus classes on projects with elevated struck-by or fall exposure. That is a contract question before it is a compliance question. It is also a good example of reacting to the right thing on a jobsite: the classification change is real, but it is not an emergency.

A Five Minute Head Protection Check for the Crew

Run this at a toolbox talk. It takes about five minutes and it turns an abstract standards update into something the crew does with their hands.

Have everyone take the hat off and find the type designation inside the shell. Ask whether the type matches the hazards on this specific job, not on the last one.
Find the date of manufacture, usually a molded clock or arrow stamp on the underside of the brim. Compare it against the manufacturer's stated service life for the shell and for the suspension, which are usually different numbers.
Check the suspension: cracked straps, stretched webbing, a nut that no longer holds adjustment, or a suspension that has been reversed or modified. Suspension failure is a far more common real world problem than shell failure.
Look for paint, solvent, stickers over damage, and drilled holes. Any of those can compromise the shell and can void the electrical class on a Class E hat.
Ask whether anyone on the crew needs a chin strap for the work being done this week, such as leading edge work, climbing, or anything at height where a hat coming off is foreseeable. If the answer is yes, that is your Type I+ or Type II+ conversation.

That last question is the useful one. The new classifications were written for exactly the conditions where the old ones quietly underperform, and a crew can usually tell you which of their tasks those are. That instinct is the same one that makes a JHA hold up in the field.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to replace my crew's hard hats?

No. The plus classifications are voluntary additions to the standard and existing compliant head protection remains compliant. Replacement decisions should be driven by damage, age against the manufacturer's service life, and the hazards on the job.

What is the difference between Type II and Type II+?

Type II is tested for impact to the top and to the front, back and sides. Type II+ carries those requirements and adds chin strap performance testing and helmet retention testing, which evaluate whether the helmet stays on the head.

Does a safety helmet with a chin strap automatically meet Type I+ or Type II+?

No. Having a chin strap is not the same as passing the chin strap performance and retention tests in the standard. The classification has to be marked on the product by the manufacturer. Check the shell marking rather than the product category.

Where can I learn the technical detail?

ISEA scheduled a free webinar on the revision for September 30, 2026. The full standard is available from ISEA. Individual manufacturers will publish which of their models carry the plus classifications as they complete testing.

Key Takeaways

ISEA announced ANSI/ISEA Z89.1-2026 on September 11, 2026, adding optional Type I+ and Type II+ classifications for industrial head protection.
Both plus classes add chin strap performance and helmet retention testing. Type I+ also extends impact testing beyond the top of the head to the front, back and sides.
Type I and Type II are unchanged, the plus classes are voluntary, and head protection that was compliant before still is.
OSHA's requirement at 1926.100 did not change, since it incorporates specific earlier editions of Z89.1 by reference. Expect the plus classes to appear first in owner and GC project specifications.
The practical move this week is a five minute crew check of type, date stamp, suspension condition and shell damage, which most crews have never actually done.

PPE selection is one line in a written program, and it is usually the line that has not been revisited since the program was drafted. TriCore Safety writes and updates safety plans and written programs against the hazards and the specifications on your actual projects, and delivers toolbox talk content your foremen can run without preparation. Request a consultation at tricoresafety.com.