Crossword Genius

It's hard to provide safety on a building site (3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

hat

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'a building site' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I can't see how they can define each other.

'it's hard to provide safety on' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'hard' could be 'h' (abbreviation used in pencil classifications) and 'h' is located in the answer.
'on' could be 'at' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'at' is located in the answer.
This accounts for all the letters.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for hat that I've seen before include "Head-covering" , "Cloche or fez?" , "Eg, bowler" , "Eg, derby" , "Lid" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.