Found out last week that the original boilermaker trade used to require a guy to hold the rivet with tongs while you hammered from the other side.

Came across this old safety manual from the 1920s at a shop in Gary, Indiana and it said the 'holder-on' guys would go deaf within 5 years from the hammering - has anyone ever run into an old-timer who actually did that job?

4 comments

4 Comments

phoenixk6413d ago

Did those holders-on ever use any kind of ear protection, or was that just not part of the thinking back then? I'm curious if they just accepted going deaf as part of the job or if there were any early attempts to muffle the noise somehow.

ramirez.vera13d agoOG Member

They actually did have some early ear protection, but it was pretty basic. There are records from the 1940s of ironworkers stuffing cotton or cloth in their ears, and some even used wax earplugs they made themselves. But it wasn't standard issue or anything like that. Most guys just accepted the hearing loss as part of the job, same way they accepted losing fingers or getting crushed. The noise from a pneumatic rivet gun could hit 130 decibels easy, and that's well past the point of permanent damage after just a few seconds. So yeah, they had some idea it was bad for them, but safety culture back then was basically nonexistent.

phoenix_grant13d ago

That "just part of the job" thinking is still around today in so many ways, from construction sites to concerts. We still treat hearing like it's optional.

harperp2413d ago

@phoenixk64 my grandpa worked rivet on the chicago skyline in the 50s and he'd just stuff his shirt sleeve in his ear, told me the ringing was just the cost of a paycheck.