In Europe, the European Committee for Standardization establishes safety standards for helmets. For example, CE EN 1385 is a standard for canoeing and white water sports helmets, covering water sports in rapids ranging from Class I to Class IV. They do not have specific standards for surfing. To achieve this certification, water sports helmets are tested on:
Making sure the helmet design does not interfere with the user’s field of vision
Making sure the helmet covers all necessary parts of the head
The most important is the shock absorbing capacity of the helmet. This is tested in a specialized instrument where the helmet is dropped with the speed of 2,5m/s onto a solid metal anvil with a 4 kg metal head inside. Inside the metal head there’s an accelerometer that measures the forces within the impact. The helmets are tested in four conditions:
This test covers the strength of the retention system (webbing), as well as its effectiveness, i.e. the webbings ability to keep the helmet securely positioned on the head.
After being submerged for at least 4 hours, the helmet must float to the surface.
After all these tests the helmet should not show any damage that would cause any additional damage to the wearer.