History of hard hats

The first hard hats were created in California by a mining company in 1898 and were made entirely of leather. The hats were later made from steel and based on the Brodie helmets used in World War I. The first use of hard hats on a construction site was during the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge in 1933.

Since the 1950’s, most hard hats are made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or advanced engineering resins, such as Ultem. The main reason for switching over to plastics is because they were easy to mold and shape with heat and cost less to manufacture then ones made of metal. Most workers prefer hats made from plastic because of better balance, lighter weight and resistance to scrapes and stains.