Social factors in occupational health: a history of hard hats.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is the least desirable way to ensure workplace safety, and it is difficult to use consistently. Hard hats are different; they have cachet and are often worn even when they are not required. We investigated the history of this personal protective equipment to see if there were any lessons that could be applied to other forms of PPE. We learned that what makes hard hats special are social factors that are specific to a certain time and place. The importance of social factors illuminates the requirement that cultural and social norms of workers be included in any kind of worker safety and health training.
Rosenberg
Beth
B
Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Tufts Medical School, Boston, MA 02111, USA. beth.rosenberg@tufts.edu
Levenstein
Charles
C
D006260:Head Protective Devices / Q000266:history*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D008402:Mass Media; D016272:Occupational Health / Q000266:history*; D012931:Social Environment; D014481:United States; D014489:United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration