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Ahard hat is a type ofhelmet predominantly used in hazardous environments such as industrial orconstruction sites to protect thehead from injury due to falling objects (such as tools and debris), impact with other objects, and electric shock, as well as from rain. Suspension bands inside the helmet spread the helmet's weight and the force of any impact over the top of the head. A suspension also provides space of approximately 30 mm (1.2 inches) between the helmet's shell and the wearer's head, so that if an object strikes the shell, the impact is less likely to be transmitted directly to the skull. Some helmet shells have a mid-line reinforcement ridge to improve impact resistance. Therock climbing helmet fulfills a very similar role in a different context and has a very similar design.
Abump cap is a lightweight hard hat using a simplified suspension or padding and a chin strap. Bump caps are used where there is a possibility of scraping or bumping one's head on equipment or structure projections but are not sufficient to absorb large impacts, such as that from a tool dropped from several stories.
In the early years of the shipbuilding industry, workers covered their hats with pitch (tar) and set them in the sun to cure and harden, a common practice for dock workers in constant danger of being hit on the head by objects dropped from ship decks.
Management professorPeter Drucker credited writerFranz Kafka with developing the first civilian hard hat while employed at the Worker's Accident Insurance Institute for theKingdom of Bohemia (1912), but this information is not supported by any document from his employer.[1]
In the United States, the E.D. Bullard Company was a mining equipment firm in California created by Edward Dickinson Bullard in 1898, a veteran of the industrial safety business for 20 years. The company sold protective hats made of leather. His son, E. W. Bullard, returned home fromWorld War I with a steel helmet that provided him with ideas to improve industrial safety.[2] In 1919 Bullard patented a "Hard-Boiled hat" made of steamed canvas, glue and black paint.[3] That same year, the U.S. Navy commissioned Bullard to create ashipyard protective cap that began the widespread use of hard hats. Not long after, Bullard developed an internal suspension to provide a more effective hat. These early designs bore a resemblance to the steelM1917 "Brodie" military helmet that served as their inspiration.
MSA introduced the newnon-conductivethermoplastic, reinforcedBakelite-based"Skullguard" Helmet in 1930. Able to withstand high temperatures and radiant heat loads in the metals industry up to 350 °F (177 °C) without burning the wearer, it was also safe around high-voltage electricity. Bakelite was used to provide protection rigid enough to withstand hard sudden impacts within a high-heat environment but still be light enough for practical use. Made of a Bakelite resin reinforced with wire screen and linen, the Skullgard Helmet is still manufactured in nearly two dozen models in 2021. MSA also produced a low-crown version for coal miners known as Comfo-Cap Headgear, likewise offered with fittings for a headlamp and battery.
On theHoover Dam project in 1931, hard hat use was mandated bySix Companies, Inc. In 1933, construction began on theGolden Gate Bridge in San Francisco California. Construction workers were required to wear hard hats, by order ofJoseph Strauss, project chief engineer. Strauss strove to create a safe workplace; hence, he installedsafety nets and required hard hats to be worn while on the job site. Strauss also asked Bullard to create a hard hat to protect workers who performedsandblasting. Bullard produced a design that covered the worker's face, provided a window for vision and a supply of fresh air via a hose connected to anair compressor. The MSA Skullgard was the best, but quite expensive. Many hard hats were made of cheaper steel.
Lighter affordablealuminum became popular for hard hats around 1938, except for electrical applications.Fiberglass came into use in the 1940s.
Injection-moldedthermoplastics appeared in the 1950s, and began to dominate in the 1960s. Easily shaped with heat, it is cost-effective to manufacture. In 1952, MSA offered the Shockgard Helmet to protectlinemen from electrical shock of up to 10,000 volts. In 1961, MSA released the Topgard Helmet, the firstpolycarbonate hard hat. 1962 brought the V-Gard Helmet, which today is the most widely used hard hat in the United States.[citation needed] Today, most hard hats are made fromhigh-density polyethylene (HDPE) or advanced engineering resins, such asUltem.
In 1997,ANSI allowed the development of a ventilated hard hat to keep wearers cooler. Accessories such asface shields,sun visors,earmuffs, andperspiration-absorbing lining cloths could also be used; today, attachments includeradios,walkie-talkies,pagers, andcameras.[citation needed]
Because hard hats are intended to protect the wearer's head from impacts, hats are made from durable materials, originally frommetal, thenBakelite composite,fiberglass, and most-commonly (from the 1950s onward) moldedthermoplastic.
Some contemporary cap-style hard hats feature a rolled edge that acts as arain gutter to channel rainwater to the front, allowing water to drain off the bill, instead of running down the wearer's neck. A wide-brimmedcowboy hat-style hard hat is made,[4] although some organizations disallow their use.
Organizations issuing hard hats often include their name, logo, or some other message (as for a ceremonial corner stone laying) on the front.
Hard hats may also be fitted with:
Hard hat colors can signify different roles on construction sites. These color designations vary from company to company and worksite to worksite. Government agencies such as theUnited States Navy andDOT have their own hard hat color scheme that may apply to subcontractors. On very large projects involving a number of companies, employees of the same company may wear the same color hat.
Stickers, labels and markers are used to mark hard hats so that important information can be shared. As some paints or permanent markers can degrade the plastic in hard hats, adhesive labels or tape are often used instead. Stickers with company logos, and those that indicate a worker's training, qualifications, or security level, are also common. Many companies provide ready-made stickers to indicate that a worker has been trained in electrical, confined space, or excavation trench safety, as well as operation of specialized equipment. Environmental monitors often make stickers to indicate that the worker has been educated on the risk of unexploded ordnance or the archaeological/biological sensitivity of a given area. Unions may offer hard hat stickers to their members to promote the union, encourage safety, and commemorate significant milestones.
A hard hat also provides workers with a distinctive profile, readily identifiable even in peripheral vision, for safety around equipment or traffic. Reflective tape can increase visibility both day and night.
OSHA regulation 1910.135 states that the employer shall ensure that each affected employee wears a protective helmet when working in areas where there is a potential for injury to the head from falling objects. Additionally, the employer shall ensure that a protective helmet designed to reduce electrical shock hazard is worn by each such affected employee when near exposed electrical conductors which could contact the head.[5]
The OSHA regulation does not specifically cover any criteria for the protective helmets, instead OSHA requires that protective helmets comply with ANSI/ISEA Z89.1-2014 – American National Standard for Industrial Head Protection.
Each hard hat is specified by both Type and Class.Types include:
Classes:
A hard hat is specified by both Type and Class; for example:Type I Class G.
ANSI standards for hard hats setcombustibility orflammability criteria.ANSI Z89 standard was significantly revised in 1986, 1997 and 2003. The current American standard for hard hats is ISEA Z89.1-2009, by theInternational Safety Equipment Association that took over publication of the Z89 standard from ANSI. The ISO standard for industrial protective headgear is ISO 3873, first published in 1977.
In the UK, the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Regulations 1992 specifies that hard hats are a component of PPE and, by law, all those working on construction sites or within hazardous environments are required to wear hard hats.
In Europe all hard hats must have a manufacturer set lifespan, this can be determined from the expiry date or a set period from the manufacture date, which is either stuck to the inside or embossed in the hard hat's material.
