If the price for hard hats was $10k a piece, companies would still buy/rent them for their workers. They're a one-time fee insurance against something that is

If the price for hard hats was $10k a piece, companies would still buy/rent them for their workers. They're a one-time fee insurance against something that is both expensive and decently likely to happen. It's almost impossible to work in construction for even a few years without getting one thing or the other dropped on your head. Screws, tools, or rocky substances kicked loose by someone navigating scaffolding above you may not usually be fatal, but they'd probably hurt and can take a worker out of commission for a time.