Next Friday, September 16th marks National Concussion Awareness Day, bringing attention to the epidemic of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in the U.S. According to the CDC, there were 64,362 TBI-related deaths in 2020 alone. 

Yet not all Americans are at equal risk of obtaining a TBI. The construction industry has more TBIs than any other industry. So, what can be done to keep workers safe on site.

Spurred by the study of why head and neck injuries occur even when someone is wearing a helmet, Mips co-founders made the breakthrough of recognizing that most crashes resulted in a person’s head (or helmet) hitting the ground at an angle. The result? A low-friction layer inside of the helmet to reduce the impact of rotational motion. 

In the construction industry, falls from roofs, scaffolding or ladders are responsible for the majority of TBIs, in addition to vehicle accidents, and contact with equipment. Key to keeping construction workers safe is having the appropriate equipment, and helmets, for workers.

Peter Halldin

Mips co-founder Peter Halldin has been the company's CSO since 2008. Peter received his doctorate in biomechanics from the Royal Technical University of Stockholm on the prevention and prediction of head and neck injuries in traffic accidents. He has served as an assistant professor there since 2001. Peter has been a delegate to the European Committee for Standardization on head protection since 2012. 

Mips

Mips specializes in helmet-based safety and is a market leader in this field. The Mips® safety system is based on an "ingredient brand" model and is sold to the helmet industry worldwide. The Mips® safety system is patented and based on 25 years of research, testing and development in cooperation with the Royal Institute of Technology and Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden. This is also where the company's headquarter is located, with more than 60 employees in research and development, sales, marketing and administration, and the test center. Mips currently works with 143 helmet manufacturers, the safety system is used in 833 models and was integrated in 12.6 million helmets worldwide in 2021 alone.