Patent ID: 8117678

Claim:
In combination, a hard hat lanyard and a hard hat for preventing a hard hat from falling away from a wearer comprising: a lower strap having a first end and a second end; a lower strap fastening mechanism fastened to the lower strap second end wherein the fastening mechanism is adapted to fasten the lower strap second end to an article of a wearer's clothing; an upper strap having a first end and a second end; an intermediate release mechanism fastened to the lower strap first end and the upper strap second end that is adapted to releasably secure the lower strap to the upper strap; and an upper strap fastening mechanism wherein the lower strap, the lower strap fastening mechanism, the upper strap, the intermediate release mechanism, and the upper strap fastening mechanism form the hard hat lanyard having a single point of attachment at each end that attaches on one end to the hard hat wherein the upper strap is fastened around a non-separating opening in the hard hat without modification of the hard hat so as to prevent separation and detachment of the hard hat lanyard from the hard hat caused by stress imparted onto the hard hat by the hard hat lanyard when stopping a fall of the hard hat when the hard hat is inadvertently removed from a wearer's head.