Hacker News Reader

Comment by Teever | Hacker News Reader

But they'll buy $200 boots?

People will buy whatever they're mandated to buy.

Tradespeople generally receive PPE from their employer, safety procurement people will be the ones making the purchasing decision about something like this. I wouldn’t do business with a contractor that doesn’t provide PPE to their employees.

A skilled tradesperson costs about $100/hr in my area, $200 isn’t a lot of money when it comes to safety. Fall harnesses are hundreds of dollars, arc flash suits are thousands of dollars.

It is about 10x the cost of a regular hard hat, but lower insurance premiums could make up the $180 difference over time.

Could also be good for hiring if people see you investing in safety. I know I'd rather work for the company that's willing to spend a bit more on the safest equipment.

I think it's whatever their company pays for! If this hard hat means lower insurance costs for the company then it's just a math problem.

The company may or may not pay everything. I get a $125 shoe allowance (iirc, I haven't checked the policy in a while) every two years, but most shoes that qualify for the allowance cost more that that. Of course many years I haven't been someplace where I need to wear them, but i'm expected to have them should I every have to debug something that only happens in the factory. I wear.mine mostly at home, when I remodel I like to keep my feet.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com