Swedish safety helmet firm MIPS has partnered with industrial safety firm Guardio to create the world’s first hard hat that offers a brain protection system.

By partnering with MIPS to create the Armet helmet, Guardio is poised to build a safer environment for workers around the world.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “the construction industry has the greatest number of both fatal and nonfatal traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) among U.S. workplaces.” It further states that from 2003 – 2010, 25 per cent of all construction fatalities were caused by a TBI.

The MIPS brain protection system is designed to reduce the rotational motion transmitted to the brain from angled impacts to the head. Rotational motion can affect the brain and increase the risk for minor and severe brain injuries. MIPS’ added protection system has been proven to reduce the rotational motion when implemented in a helmet by absorbing and redirecting energies and forces otherwise transmitted to the brain.

“We are very excited about the partnership with Guardio which means that we now can add protection to safety helmets as well,” says Max Strandwitz, CEO of MIPS.

“This is a new category for us but a category that MIPS have been looking at for a long time. Guardio is a partner that shares our values and we are looking forward to when the helmet will be released on the market.”

The Guardio Armet MIPS helmet will be available starting in June 2019.