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Terms of Service

Effective Date: September 27, 2026

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Hardhat Bench platform at hardhatbench.com (the "Platform"), operated by Hardhat Bench, LLC ("Hardhat Bench," "we," "us," or "our"). By creating an account or using the Platform, you agree to be bound by these Terms.

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using the Platform, you confirm that you are at least 18 years old, have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms, and agree to comply with them. If you are using the Platform on behalf of a company or organization, you represent that you have the authority to bind that entity to these Terms.

2. Platform Description

Hardhat Bench is a marketplace that connects safety professionals — including holders of credentials such as the CSP, CIH and ASP — with construction and industrial companies for contract, fractional, and full-time work opportunities. We provide the technology platform that facilitates these connections — we do not employ, direct, or control the professionals listed on the Platform. What any credential indicator displayed on the Platform does and does not establish is described in Section 6.

Hardhat Bench is a technology routing and directory service. We are not a staffing agency, employment agency, recruiter, professional employer organization, or joint employer. We do not employ, supervise, direct, assign, schedule, or control any professional listed on the Platform, and we do not guarantee that any engagement will result from use of the Platform. All engagements are contracted directly between the professional and the company.

3. Account Responsibilities

  • You must provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and keep your account information updated.
  • You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity under your account.
  • You must notify us immediately at legal@hardhatbench.com if you suspect unauthorized access to your account.
  • We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms.

4. Worker Classification — Independent Contractor Disclaimer

Important Notice Regarding Worker Classification

Hardhat Bench is a technology marketplace that facilitates connections between independent safety professionals and companies. Hardhat Bench is not an employer, staffing agency, or joint employer of any professional listed on the Platform.

All professionals on Hardhat Bench operate as independent contractors or through their own business entities unless a separate written employment agreement exists directly between the professional and a hiring company. Hardhat Bench does not control, direct, or supervise the manner or means by which professionals perform their work.

Both companies and professionals are solely responsible for determining the appropriate worker classification for their engagements and for complying with all applicable federal, state, and local employment, tax, and labor laws, including but not limited to IRS guidelines for independent contractor classification, state ABC tests, and workers' compensation requirements.

5. Burden of Verification and Final Duty

THE HIRING COMPANY ASSUMES THE ABSOLUTE AND FINAL DUTY TO VERIFY THE IDENTITY, CREDENTIALS, QUALIFICATIONS, LICENSURE, TRAINING, AND WORKPLACE FITNESS OF ANY PROFESSIONAL BEFORE PERMITTING THAT PROFESSIONAL ACCESS TO ANY JOBSITE, FACILITY, OR WORK ASSIGNMENT. No indicator, badge, label, or status displayed on the Platform reduces, satisfies, or substitutes for that duty. The Company acknowledges that it is solely responsible for compliance with all applicable occupational safety, health, licensing, and employment laws, including those administered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and equivalent state agencies.

6. Credential Matching and Third-Party Registries

The Platform may compare information supplied by a professional against publicly available credential registries maintained by third parties, including the Board of Certified Safety Professionals ("BCSP"). These comparisons are performed on name and are probabilistic. They do not confirm the identity of any individual and do not confirm that any specific credential number is valid, active, or belongs to the professional displaying it. Registry data is supplied by third parties over whom Hardhat Bench exercises no control.

Credential matching features are provided strictly for informational convenience. Hardhat Bench disclaims all liability for the availability, uptime, accuracy, completeness, timeliness, or currency of any third-party registry, and for any false positive or false negative result, whether arising from registry error, name similarity, name change, transcription error, technical failure, or any other cause. A professional displaying any credential indicator may nonetheless be unqualified, uncertified, lapsed, or misrepresenting their identity.

Where the Platform screens professionals against fraud or disciplinary watchlists, including the OSHA Outreach Trainer Watchlist, that screening identifies known adverse records only. It is not a confirmation that any credential is valid, and the absence of a watchlist match is not an endorsement.

7. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

  • Use the Platform for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable laws or regulations.
  • Misrepresent your identity, qualifications, certifications, or affiliation with any person or entity.
  • Scrape, crawl, or use automated means to access the Platform without our written consent.
  • Interfere with or disrupt the Platform's infrastructure or other users' experience.
  • Circumvent any access controls, rate limits, or security features of the Platform.
  • Harass, threaten, or discriminate against any other user.
  • Post false, misleading, or defamatory content in reviews, forum posts, or profiles.

8. Subscriptions and Billing

  • Certain features of the Platform require a paid subscription. Pricing and features for each tier are described on our pricing page.
  • Subscriptions are billed in advance on a monthly or annual basis through Stripe.
  • You may cancel your subscription at any time through your account settings. Cancellations take effect at the end of the current billing period.
  • We reserve the right to change pricing with 30 days' notice. Existing subscribers will be notified before any price change takes effect.
  • Refunds are handled on a case-by-case basis. Contact legal@hardhatbench.com for refund requests.

9. Reviews and User Content

  • Users may post reviews, forum discussions, and other content ("User Content") on the Platform.
  • You retain ownership of your User Content but grant Hardhat Bench a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to display, distribute, and use it in connection with the Platform.
  • Reviews must be honest and based on genuine experiences. We reserve the right to remove reviews that violate our content policies.
  • We are not responsible for User Content posted by third parties.

10. DMCA and Intellectual Property

We respect the intellectual property rights of others. If you believe that content on the Platform infringes your copyright, please send a DMCA takedown notice to legal@hardhatbench.com including:

  • A description of the copyrighted work you claim has been infringed.
  • The URL or location of the allegedly infringing content.
  • Your contact information and a statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.

11. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, HARDHAT BENCH EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, ACCURACY, AND QUIET ENJOYMENT. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, HARDHAT BENCH MAKES NO WARRANTY THAT ANY PROFESSIONAL IS FIT, COMPETENT, QUALIFIED, OR SUITABLE FOR ANY PARTICULAR ENGAGEMENT, JOBSITE, HAZARD CLASS, OR REGULATORY CONTEXT.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Hardhat Bench and its officers, directors, employees, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, data, or goodwill, arising out of or in connection with your use of the Platform.

Our total aggregate liability for all claims arising under or relating to these Terms shall not exceed the greater of (a) the total amount you paid to Hardhat Bench in the twelve (12) months preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) one hundred United States dollars (US $100.00). This limitation applies regardless of the theory of liability and even if a limited remedy is found to have failed of its essential purpose.

Hardhat Bench does not guarantee the accuracy of any professional's credentials, qualifications, or work product. Companies are responsible for conducting their own due diligence before engaging any professional found through the Platform.

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Hardhat Bench and its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to your use of the Platform, your violation of these Terms, your User Content, or any engagement between professionals and companies facilitated through the Platform.

Without limiting the foregoing, you agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Hardhat Bench from any claim, demand, investigation, citation, penalty, damage, loss, liability, or expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees and costs of defense) arising out of or relating to: (a) any workplace injury, illness, death, or property damage occurring in connection with an engagement originating through the Platform; (b) any falsified, altered, expired, revoked, or misrepresented credential, certification, licence, or identity; (c) any citation, investigation, or enforcement action under OSHA or any equivalent federal, state, or local authority; and (d) any failure by a Company to discharge the verification duty set out in Section 5.

14. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Texas, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any disputes arising under these Terms shall be resolved in the state or federal courts located in Harris County, Texas.

15. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated Terms on this page, updating the "Effective Date," and — for significant changes — sending a notification to the email address associated with your account. Your continued use of the Platform after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

16. Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms, contact us at:

Last updated: April 16, 2026