Question:
A quality hard hat is far more comfortable than a helmet. They stay off the
head for ventilation. Plus they dont look as faggy as bike helmets.
Answer:
Laborers of various types often wear hats for the duel purpose
of not just safety, but also to keep sun directly off of their face
because they work outodoors all day.
Secondly, it is part of the uniform which is often required
by regulations. Third, the reason they tote them around
so readily is because they get "used to" them just as
you get accustomed to wearing any piece of clothing.
There are a great many construction workers who do not
care for wearing the hardhat, and they often do not do so
even though regulatiosn often require they wear one. If you
take a real close look at large road crews you'll often see
these people wearing alternative hats such as baseball or
cowboy hats (to keep the sun off their head).
Whereas cyclists stay indoors when it's sunny?? I'd wear my helmet to
keep the sun off even if wasn't a safety factor. (But my helmet is WHITE,
not the "sexy" black that seems so popular, so maybe that's a factor.)
A good quality helmet insulates the head from the sun and still allows
airflow across the scalp, unlike most other possible head coverings (but
similar to a hard hat).
Hard hats have an advantage though.. They often have a
decent sized brim. Not quite as big as a baseball cap..
but the brim keeps the sun out of your eyes, and prevents
sunburn on your face. Although, I suppose there are a
few models of helmets with built-in sun visors... they should
definately make that an option on more helmets.
