WorldWide Drilling Resource

14 NOVEMBER 2014 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® History of the Hard Hat Compiled by Amy White, Associate Editor WorldWide Drilling Resource ® About 20 million Americans wear hard hats on the job today, but 100 years ago hard hats didn’t exist, and 50 years ago head protection was not strictly enforced on jobsites. Before regulations made the use of hard hats widespread, workers used creative means to protect their heads, including smearing hats with tar and letting them harden in the sun. In 1898, Edward D. Bullard started the E.D. Bullard Company which man- ufactured mining equipment including protective hats made of leather. When Edward’s son, E.W. Bullard returned home from World War I, he brought his steel helmet back with him, and it became the inspiration for a revolution in on-the-job safety. In 1919, Bullard patented the Hard Boiled ® hat made with steamed canvas, glue, leather, and black paint. The same year, Bullard was commissioned by the U.S. Navy to make hard hats with an inner suspension for shipyard workers. These became the first commercially- available industrial head-protection devices. By November 1 9 3 1 , t h e s i x companies con- structing the Hoover Dam were requir- ing all workers to wear hard hats. The Las Vegas Rev iew Journal published an article on Oc t obe r 28 , 1931 stating, No- body will be allowed in the canyon bot- tom without one of the helmets, hence- for th, according to Ed Brockman, supervisor of insurance and safety for the Big Six. Six companies purchased these “helmets” from the E.D. Bullard Company. According to the Review Journal dated April 20, 1932, a carpen- ter on the Hoover Dam survived a blow to the head from a four-by-six timber. Although his hard hat was dented, he quickly returned to work after the inci- dent. In 1933, Joseph B. Strauss, chief engineer over construction of the Golden Hoover Dam workers courtesy of arizona-leisure.com Gate Br idge in San Francisco, en- forced hard hat use with the threat of dismissal. Falling riv- ets posed a ser ious t h r e a t t o wo r k e r s . Strauss was commit- ted to safety. At the time, his regulations were considered the most rigorous in the history of bridge build- ing. Ha r d ha t s have changed, improved, and become commonplace on jobsites through the years. They were first made from steel, followed by aluminum, fiberglass, and thermoplastics. Today’s hard hats are mainly made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE), a strong, lightweight, easy- to-mold, and noncon- ductive material. They are also designed for a variety of specific jobs with add-ons such as face shields, lights, earmuffs, mirrors, radios, and cameras. Golden Gate Bridge worker courtesy of sfpl.org WWDR photo