It's long past time to replace my old hard hat. I use one only for mowing and tree trimming, so a class 3 hat would be fine. Weight is my only concern, and have always had a "want" (not a need) for a aluminum full brim . The aluminum hats are pretty expensive, but are they worth it ? Weight wise, anything lighter ?
Hard Hat recommendation
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I worked under a hard hat for 1/4 century. Worn about every kind. I don't remember the weight of any of them being a problem. The suspension system is my main issue. Some are better than others and some are a lot better. Just be sure you get one that is OSHA approved and you will be okay.
Most jobs will no longer allow aluminum hard hats.
The Skullgard are good and so are the PYRAMEX Ridgeline. The PYRAMEX is almost weightless and made of a carbon firer type material.
The Skullgard are good and so are the PYRAMEX Ridgeline. The PYRAMEX is almost weightless and made of a carbon firer type material.
Whichever one you choose make sure the web is "screw tighten" rather than pre cut tabs so you can adjust it to fit your melon exactly/comfortably. Joe
As an old Ironworker, I had an Aluminum Hard hat that I wore on all my jobs.
OSHA told us that they were not safe due to electricity and to band the use of them.
Well, being old school and 240 lbs, I kept wearing my aluminum hard hat until I retired in 2005. I still have it in my tool locker, as well as all my other I/w tools.
I was told many times to get rid of it but no one had enough **** to push the issue, even with the OSHA guys.
Seems like when your eight stories high, they seem to loose their power.
OSHA told us that they were not safe due to electricity and to band the use of them.
Well, being old school and 240 lbs, I kept wearing my aluminum hard hat until I retired in 2005. I still have it in my tool locker, as well as all my other I/w tools.
I was told many times to get rid of it but no one had enough **** to push the issue, even with the OSHA guys.
Seems like when your eight stories high, they seem to loose their power.
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I agree with Walking Jack.
I had 20 years of wearing hard hats at work every day before I came into the office. I still have one if I ever need one. I always liked the MSA V Gard full brim. If I was still in the field doing the work that I did I would wear a V Gard H1 Safety helmet. The industry is starting to move to safety helmets rather then hard hats as they they offer far superior head protection
I hope I never have to wear one ever again! I do have one of those plastic dome bump hats that fits inside a ball cap. I usually wore it working above a ceiling in the classrooms on HVAC units. But, all that's behind me now!
That is just enough protection from getting gouged by allthread or whatever else contractors liked to hide in ceilings. Good for crawl spaces, too. Wouldn't protect you from tree branches with a 30' free-fall head start before it came down on you, though.
That is just enough protection from getting gouged by allthread or whatever else contractors liked to hide in ceilings. Good for crawl spaces, too. Wouldn't protect you from tree branches with a 30' free-fall head start before it came down on you, though.
As a now retired construction worker I had decades of hard hat wearing. Started out in the mid 60s with a nice shinny metal one. (now outlawed) Then went to a safari style hat and after that fiberglass.
By our union rules you had to be issued a hat by your contractor on every job you were sent to. Some were good some where not so good. I saved a couple of the better ones. One was set up with a warm liner that tied under your chin, actual quite warm in NY states nasty winters.
After I retired from union I drove a large truck for a few years. We needed a hard hat to deliver to some jobs and I always took one of my own.The company had a bad excuse of a hat that you were supposed to use if the job site required. No way was I using a beat up old hat that many other people used before I got there.
By our union rules you had to be issued a hat by your contractor on every job you were sent to. Some were good some where not so good. I saved a couple of the better ones. One was set up with a warm liner that tied under your chin, actual quite warm in NY states nasty winters.
After I retired from union I drove a large truck for a few years. We needed a hard hat to deliver to some jobs and I always took one of my own.The company had a bad excuse of a hat that you were supposed to use if the job site required. No way was I using a beat up old hat that many other people used before I got there.
hard hats? sometimes work...sometimes not
During my time up on high iron I recall times when 2 or more unions were duking it out openly and publicly for control. These were large power plants under construction, early 1970's.
Hard hats were mostly still the tin "doughboy" type from the 1940's for us Boilermakers/Millwrights, but the new fangled high impact plastic (with drip rim ...please) were being mandated more and more.
Couple of nasty jobs...CILCO plant Duck Creek going up in 74, outside of Peoria. The freight elevator/operator sat on a stool, had a long stick to push the up/down button...and....had a brown paper bag at his feet filled with snubby guns (mostly Sat night specials) for sale. I had my own Model 36 under the car seat out in the parking lot, but as the fighting intensified the parking lot became the site of more than a few "shots fired" incidents.
Lunch pails were searched when coming through the gate, but soon learned of another "weapon" of choice, by the instigators on the job. A 1"x4" bolt dropped from high iron a couple hundred feet off the ground will crack a plastic hard hat wide open as well as the skull of the wearer.
Was glad to finally have the topping off party atop that job..and be gone.
Same type **** went on down at Crystal City/Labadie Missouri putting up another plant...only there the instigators were open carrying...on the iron! Glad to see that topping off party too.
Now retired after 50 plus years with all kinds of hard hats, just kept the one with all the outage stickers all over it and yea...it still gets used when putting holiday decorations away up in the attic with very short headroom...hence my tendency to try to straighten up with all those roofing nails protruding...it really helps
During my time up on high iron I recall times when 2 or more unions were duking it out openly and publicly for control. These were large power plants under construction, early 1970's.
Hard hats were mostly still the tin "doughboy" type from the 1940's for us Boilermakers/Millwrights, but the new fangled high impact plastic (with drip rim ...please) were being mandated more and more.
Couple of nasty jobs...CILCO plant Duck Creek going up in 74, outside of Peoria. The freight elevator/operator sat on a stool, had a long stick to push the up/down button...and....had a brown paper bag at his feet filled with snubby guns (mostly Sat night specials) for sale. I had my own Model 36 under the car seat out in the parking lot, but as the fighting intensified the parking lot became the site of more than a few "shots fired" incidents.
Lunch pails were searched when coming through the gate, but soon learned of another "weapon" of choice, by the instigators on the job. A 1"x4" bolt dropped from high iron a couple hundred feet off the ground will crack a plastic hard hat wide open as well as the skull of the wearer.
Was glad to finally have the topping off party atop that job..and be gone.
Same type **** went on down at Crystal City/Labadie Missouri putting up another plant...only there the instigators were open carrying...on the iron! Glad to see that topping off party too.
Now retired after 50 plus years with all kinds of hard hats, just kept the one with all the outage stickers all over it and yea...it still gets used when putting holiday decorations away up in the attic with very short headroom...hence my tendency to try to straighten up with all those roofing nails protruding...it really helps
CAJUNLAWYER
Member
HOw about a cowboy hat style hard hat? They are OSHA approved
I was waiting for that one to pop up...........
Not to good on windy days.
Never wore one, even though they would be fitting in this state.
Chubbo
Member
Hard Hats
Supposedly, everybody is entitled to an opinion. I hope mine isn’t considered Political, selfish, or too critical.
I’d like to offer some food for thought, for everybody that’s required to wear a hard hat, or feels the need to wear one.
Can anyone of you, folks, truthfully state that you’ve actually been saved from a serious injury, by a hard hat?
I was a Union building tradesman for 4 decades, and previous to that, a private tradesman, woodworker, welder, woodworker, and automotive, and RV mechanic. For many of those years, I didn’t possess a hard hat. After I got several hard hats, one never prevented an injury that I did receive.
My candid opinion of hard hats is; They are a cumbersome source of shade, if one is working in sunlight, and a badge of humility. A large straw hat, is more efficient and comfortable.
In olden days, a serf tugged their forelock, to show humility. Today, hardhats accomplish that, with no effort required by the wearer.
There is quite an assortment of hard hats stored in my workshop. I put them there, when I retired. I haven’t worn one since, and never will.
The only useful, protective headgear, that I’ve worn, are motorcycle helmets, and racing helmets. Since I’m no longer supposed to ride or drive, I won’t be wearing them again.
Supposedly, everybody is entitled to an opinion. I hope mine isn’t considered Political, selfish, or too critical.
I’d like to offer some food for thought, for everybody that’s required to wear a hard hat, or feels the need to wear one.
Can anyone of you, folks, truthfully state that you’ve actually been saved from a serious injury, by a hard hat?
I was a Union building tradesman for 4 decades, and previous to that, a private tradesman, woodworker, welder, woodworker, and automotive, and RV mechanic. For many of those years, I didn’t possess a hard hat. After I got several hard hats, one never prevented an injury that I did receive.
My candid opinion of hard hats is; They are a cumbersome source of shade, if one is working in sunlight, and a badge of humility. A large straw hat, is more efficient and comfortable.
In olden days, a serf tugged their forelock, to show humility. Today, hardhats accomplish that, with no effort required by the wearer.
There is quite an assortment of hard hats stored in my workshop. I put them there, when I retired. I haven’t worn one since, and never will.
The only useful, protective headgear, that I’ve worn, are motorcycle helmets, and racing helmets. Since I’m no longer supposed to ride or drive, I won’t be wearing them again.
Geewhizz 'Guns. That all sounds pretty rough. Pro'lly should have worn bullet proof vest as well?
gamboolman
Guest
I just retired after 43 year of working in the Oilpatch.
I started out in Aluminum/Metal Turtle Shell Hardhats and did not quit wearing them until Safety/OSHA made us go to Plastic.
I always wore Wide Brim / Turtle Shell Hardhats to keep Rain and Sun off me as much as practicable.
Weight of the Metal Hat was no different than Plastics - at least for me.
I started out in Aluminum/Metal Turtle Shell Hardhats and did not quit wearing them until Safety/OSHA made us go to Plastic.
I always wore Wide Brim / Turtle Shell Hardhats to keep Rain and Sun off me as much as practicable.
Weight of the Metal Hat was no different than Plastics - at least for me.
jdh
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Got one of those to wear for special occasions. The brim is too wide for close quarters work, always bumping into things or knocked off.
In response to post 15: I was once in the MSA office for some reason I no longer remember. They had an exhibit in the waiting room that included a hard hat worn by someone during the construction of the US Steel building. The distinctive feature of it was a plumb bob driven down through the top. Apparently, someone dropped it from above and when it hit, the impact drove the guy wearing the hard hat to his knees. His only injury was a scratch-and possibly a very stiff neck for a day or two.
I will admit that I've whacked the hard hat on low clearances a few times that I'd have cleared without it. OTOH, I expect I've avoided a few scalp injuries because of them. Does make the actual impact a wee bit less.
I will admit that I've whacked the hard hat on low clearances a few times that I'd have cleared without it. OTOH, I expect I've avoided a few scalp injuries because of them. Does make the actual impact a wee bit less.
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