There is no real need to ever diddle with the hammer on a 1911. If you want to carry it for serious purposes, do so C&L. If not, or you want a bit more "safety" carry with empty chamber / loaded mag. And yes, IMO that also includes 1911s used as HD guns and stored for years...won't hurt them at all.
Almost every "ND" I know of with the 1911 has happened while trying to lower the hammer over a chambered round. This also goes for some other designs such as the CZ 75 and older Taurus 9mms. For instruction purposes, I teach these pistols as SA designs. That half-cock notch on the 1911 was designed as a "fail-safe" to catch the hammer if it slipped while being cocked, or so I have always been told. For sure, it is NOT a "safety" in the sense of the half cock notch on, say, an older Winchester 94.
Virtually every rifle and shotgun designed for sporting use is also cocked & locked if carried with a chambered round...you just can't see the hammer.