Learn Why Your Workers Avoid Hard Hats, Why They Shouldn’t, and How You Can Get Them to Wear Them

As a contractor manager or supervisor you know that OSHA requires that a hard hat be worn if there’s a change that a worker could be hit on the head from a falling object, or if other conditions exist. Yet, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 10% of emergency room visits are the result of head and neck injuries. We know that many companies provide all the safety gear needed but employees don’t wear them.

Why aren’t construction workers wearing their hard hats? Why are they taking them off once the supervisor walks off the job site? And how can you get them to wear them? At Grove Hardware we have solutions to all of your construction supply questions including how to get folks to wear hard hats. Read on to get the details and then stop by or give us a call at 909-544-4331 to move forward.

Reasons workers don’t wear their safety hats

It doesn’t take years of market research or complicated studies to figure out why workers take off their hard hats. They are too hot, they’re too heavy, they’re too bulky, they’re too loose, the worker doesn’t like the way they look, or some combination of these issues. The good news is that these are all issues that can be addressed. When a construction foreman understands the reasons that workers don’t use hard hats, those reasons can be addressed to make the worker more likely to wear their safety gear.

Share these statistics with your workers

If you’re having trouble getting your construction workers to wear their hard hats or other job site safety supplies, consider sharing some statistics with them that may make them change their mind:

• Workers are struck by falling objects on their heads more than 50,000 times a year. Hard hats can protect against injury and tool lanyards can keep tools from falling.
• There were upwards of 65,000 head injuries in workplace accidents last year – including more than one thousand fatal accidents.
• Even a minor fall can be fatal if a person is working at a height. Even when a person hits their head at a height, they can then become dizzy and fall.

Note that these are just some of the statistics. You can also gather information based on your particular field and within your state to get the specific stats that may make a bigger impact on them.

We can help you find the gear your employees would actually wear

The good news is that there is construction safety gear out there today that’s lightweight, offers better ventilation, and that can be custom fit to the head of the worker. When you find equipment that not only does the job but makes it easier for construction workers to decide to wear it, you’re doing everyone a favor. Stop by Grove Hardware or give us a call at 909-544-4331 to learn more about the latest options.