The History of the Hard Hat
Safety in construction is crucial, and one of the main staples of all project site uniforms is the hard hat. Have you ever wondered about the history behind it?
We all know that hard hats are helmets that protect the head from injury, but did you know that the suspension inside is there for much more than comfort? It provides a space between the shell and the wearer’s head so if an object strikes the shell, the impact is less likely to be transmitted directly to the skull.
Here is some additional hard hat trivia:
- Edward Bullard returned home from World War I with a steel helmet that served as the inspiration for a revolution in industrial safety. In 1919, the Bullard Company patented the ‘hard-boiled hat;’ that same year the United States Navy hired them to develop head protection for shipyard workers. Thus, hard hat usage began to spread.
- In 1933, the Golden Gate Bridge was the first construction site in history to require hard hats.
- In the 1930s, hard hats were made of aluminum. In the 1940s, they were made of fiberglass. From the 1950s on, hard hats have been made of rigid thermoplastic.
Despite workplace signage, a recent study by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics concerning work-related accidents found that most workers who sustained head injuries were not wearing hard hats. It’s Miron’s policy for every worker on every project site to wear a hard hat at all times. We believe it’s unacceptable for anyone to get hurt on a Miron jobsite, and the road to safety starts with always wearing the proper protective gear.
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