DON’T JUST THROW IT OUT

Repurpose Your Old Hard Hats with These Creative Ideas!

Whether your hard hat has just hit its life expectancy, or you’ve replaced it due to dents, cracks, penetration, or wear from rough treatment, we’ve put together some ideas for how you can repurpose your old hard hats into something new!

OSHA’s recent announcement switching from traditional hard hats to safety helmets to protect agency employees from head injuries better may also create a new pile of swapped out hard hats waiting to be your next project.

• Turn them into flowerpots or planters.

• Donate to school drama clubs or local theatres to use as props.

• Make a table lamp.

• Spray paint and hang it on a wall as a catchall or place for keys/wallet.

• Have fun testing the durability – run it over, throw it, smash it.

• Make a bird house.

• Use it for a kids Halloween construction themed costume or a bucket to collect candy when they’re out trick or treating.

• Paint them and upcycle for kids’ room or outdoor decorations – Think Ladybugs or any type of bug.

• Glue random objects on them and spray paint everything metallic to create a steampunk style hat for a costume party.

• Turn them into Easter baskets for your kids.

• Create a new game to play with friends or for kids –Drill a container to the top (Like a 16oz Sour Cream Container), the person wearing the hat must try to catch a water balloon in the container being thrown by another person.

Replace Hard Hats Often

Hard hat shells need to be replaced every 2-5 years depending on the environment they’re used in, and they need to be replaced immediately if they are struck by anything. Inner suspension needs to be replaced every 12 months. Refer to the manufacturer for explicit safety recommendations.

The History Of The Hard Hat

After World War I, Edward W. Bullard created the “hard boiled hat,” made of steamed canvas, shellac and black paint. These hats were optional for miners and other laborers until the construction of Hoover Dam in 1931 and the Golden Gate Bridge in 1933, the first two projects where hard hats were required. 