Hard hat means he'll meet with less last-minute restrictions (6)
I believe the answer is:
helmet
'hard hat' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'he'll meet with less last-minute restrictions' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'last' could be 't' (I've seen this in other clues) and 't' is present in the answer.
'minute' could be 'm' (abbreviation) and 'm' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'hele' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'means' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for helmet that I've seen before include "Safety hat" , "Police hat" , "to provide capital protection" , "Protection for top" , "Protective casing for the head" .)