I travel the world working with drillers and I always joke that, from stocking caps to cowboy hats, I have worked with them all. Ironically, the joke should be, from OSHA- to ANSI-approved hard hats, I worked with them all. The most complex and fragile piece of equipment on the jobsite is our brain, and one slight impact could change your life forever.
I write this article today as a friend of mine starts therapy after being struck in the head by a bolt that weighed just a few ounces. The bolt fell from roughly 25 feet off of a new steel structure. The bolt hit the top of his head and severely affected his motor skills along with his ability to process questions and speech. Before his accident, he could close out a dart game of 301 in less than five rounds while explaining the complexities of a 10 story building versus a 20 story building. Now he struggles to explain what he had for breakfast. A 37-year-old skilled civil engineer changed his entire life by a 30-second walk across the jobsite without a hard hat.