Hard Hat Designs

Posted by on January 10, 2012

Today, hard hats are everywhere; construction sites, factories, any site where there is a potential hazard due to falling debris. They may not be much to look at and they may not seem like a big deal, but they are a valuable asset to the safety industry and have changed the lives of construction laborers the world over. However, there was a time when hard hat weren’t required and they really weren’t all that hard.

“Hard-Boiled Hat”

It is thought that Franz Kafka while working at the Worker’s Accident Insurance Institute developed the idea. Although interesting, it is widely unproven. However, a company based out of California at the time was clearing the path for hard hat development. It was the Bullard Company with over 20 years in the safety field that invented the “Hard-Boiled Hat”. This is widely thought to be the first step in the development of the hard hat.

1919

Although the concept of a hard hat was not completely nonexistent they were mostly featured in military combat. The Bullard Company did use leather protective hats on their sites to protect workers. That all changed when E.W. Bullard returned home from World War I with his steel helmet. After his arrival home in 1919 the company soon patented the “Hard-Boiled Hat”. Different from its leather prototype this hat featured steamed canvas, black paint, and glue.

Military Inspiration

After the Hard Boiled Hat, the United States Navy then commissioned Bullard to come up with a shipyard protective hat to protect workers from falling debris. Soon after his development of the shipyard hat Bullard thought up an internal suspension system that would in turn provide a more effective protective hat. The inspiration for these new more effective hats was the military M1917 “Brodie” helmet.

Hard Hat Requirements

Hard hats still weren’t very common within the workplace, but in 1933 as construction began on the Golden Gate Bridge, the workers were required to wear hard hats. This was only the second ever construction site requiring such safety clothing and equipment. The first being the Hoover Dam project in 1931. At this point Bullard had been commissioned to create a hard hat that also protected those workers who performed sandblasting. His design featured a cover that protected the worker’s face yet also provided a window for vision and air via an air compressor and hose.

Materials

Since 1933 the hard hat has gone through mass renovations, aluminum eventually became the main component, minus those conducting electrical maintenance. In the 1940’s fiberglass was introduced, only to last about 10 years. Thermoplastics lead the way in the 1950’s and is still featured in many hard hates today, as most are made of high density polyethylene, also known as HDPE.

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