Football Helmet FAQs

Q.  Which football helmets provide the best protection from concussion?

A.  All new football helmets are certified to meet the performance standard set by the National Operating Committee for Sports Equipment (NOCSAE), but whether one protects against concussion better than another is open to debate.  Here's what the NOCSAE stated in a recent newsletter when asked this question:

NOCSAE cannot answer that question and probably should not.  The mechanism of a concussive injury are better understood than even 5 years ago, and much is being learned everyday, but there is more that remains to be understood.  ... The conclusion as to which helmet does a better job in reducing or preventing concussions is better addressed by the manufacturers.  NOCSAE believes that every helmet which has been certified to our standard does a remarkable job in reducing head injuries and their severity, including concussions, but there are many variables that may contribute to the occurrence of a concussion which are unrelated to helmet design and performance. All the helmet manufacturers have incorporated changes in design and materials to address the issue of concussion prevention and related injuries.  These 'new' designs have all been tested and certified as meeting the NOCSAE standard, and the various manufacturers strongly believe in their helmets and their unique benefits.

Q. Does the test performed on helmets in order to obtain NOCSAE certification tell parents which helmet provides the best protection for their children?

A. The short answer, according to the NOCSAE, is no.  That is because "the NOCSAE standard is premised on a pass/fail threshold that uses an impact energy evaluation algorithm which generates a number called the Severity Index (SI), from each test impact.  In order to be certified or recertified (see below), a helmeet must generate an SI score less than 1200 at all impacts.  This simply means that a helmet either passes or it doesn't. ...  NOCSAE licensees, whether manufacturer or reconditioner, are prohibited from using the SI scores as support for any claims that their helmets are better in any aspect than other helmets with different scores."

Q. How do I know if my child's helmet is NOCSAE-certified? 

A. Those helmets which meet the NOCSAE standard must bear the seal, "Meets NOCSAE standards" and the logo for that type of helmet. The seal and logo are permanently branded or stamped on the outside rear portion of the helmet.  All NOCSE-certified helmets also must have a standard warning label affixed to the inside and/or outside of the shell regarding safety and proper use of the helmet.  Removal of any warning lablels is against the regulations of the NOCSAE standard.

Q. My child's football program issued him a used helmet.  How often is the program required to recondition that helmet?

A. The NOCSAE standards do not specify or require recertification or reconditioning of helmets on any particular schedule or frequency.  And except for California (which requires annual inspections), there is no state law or regulation that requires reconditioning or recertification with any specific frequency.  The NOCSAE standard requiring inspections of football helmets and shoulder pads every two years.for football helmets, however, has been adopted by every state association playing under National Federation of State High School Associations and NCAA rules 

• The NOCSAE and the National Athletic Equipment Reconditioners Association (NAERA) recommend that helmets should be cleaned and regularly inspected, and that each school implement a program of regular reconditioning and recertification.  The most common schedule is to send approximately half of the helmets for reconditioning and recertification every year, with a recognition that inspection may identify a helmet that is in need of reconditioning even though it may not be due for another year.

• A manufacturer may premise warranty coverage upon regular reconditioning and recertification, but that requirement is not mandated by the NOCSAE standards. A manufacturer is also free to limit the number of times its helmet may be reconditioned, or it may establish a useful life beyond which it will not allow reconditioning.  For instance, according to a letter from Xenith, sent out by the NOCSAE to school superintendents about football helmet reconditioning and recertification with letters from the other three football helmet manufacturers (Schutt, Riddell, and Adams), Xenith "strongly recommends that every football helmet should be reconditioned annually but not less than every two years by a company which is licensed by the NOCSAE."  Xenith also recommends that each school ensure that an athletic staff member be responsible for regularly inspecting and cleaning each football helmet during the football season.  Xenith's football helmet warranty is conditioned on use of only Xenith-authorized reconditioners at least once every two years.  Contact Xenith's Customer Service Department at 1-866-888-2322 to obtain a list of authorized reconditioners.

Q. How do I know whether my child's helmet has been recertified by a NOCSAE-licensed firm according to the NOCSAE standard.

A.  Recertified helmets are identified by an appropriate NOCSAE seal affixed by the reconditioner inside the helmet: "This helmet has been RECERTIFIED according to the procedures established to meet the NOCSAE STANDARD".  Only reconditioners who have been licensed by the NOCSAE may affix the NOCSAE seal.  Non-licensed reconditioners may save your child's football program money but doing so jeopardizes your child's health, safety and welfare.  Football referees are usually instructed to ask coaches before a game if all their players are properly equipped and should look for helmets that do not have proper recertification stickers.  Unfortunately, even the recertification sticker may not be enough, as was made clear when a massive financial fraud was uncovered in New Jersey in 2008 involving a helmet reconditioner that lied about critical helmet safety tests and gave kickbacks to school officials.

Q. Is my child's football program required to keep records tracking the use of its helmets?

A.  No.  Few high schools appear to track who wore the helmet, when they wore it, what position they played but most keep copies of records provided by licensed helmet reconditioners.  

Q.  How long can a football helmet be used?

A.   Some football helmet manufacturers have a shelf-life for their helmets, others don't.  Riddell has a 10-year shelf-life on its helmets.  Once they hit the 10-year mark, reconditioners must disassemble helmets and send the shell back to schools showing they have been destroyed.  Schutt Sports, on the other hand, has no shelf-life for its helmets, feeling that the shell is fine until the parts inside need to be replaced or the shell is cracked, which may be as long as 12 to 16 years.

Source: NOCSAE 

Created January 27, 2010