Turner (centre) scored his second goal of the season for the Tigers
Hull moved back into third place in the Premier League after a Michael Turner goal made it three wins on the trot.
Carlton Cole and Herita Ilunga both missed glorious opportunities for West Ham in the opening half.
Turner put Hull in front when he headed in powerfully from an Andy Dawson corner just after the break.
The Hammers almost equalised when Cole's shot from five yards out beat Boaz Myhill, but he saw his effort come back off the underside of the bar.
It was a third consecutive win for Phil Brown's Hull side, whose tally of 17 points after eight games is the second best total for a promoted club since the start of the Premier League.
After wins at Arsenal and Tottenham the Tigers earned their first victory at home since the opening day of the season.
Still more to come from Tigers - Brown
There was little between the two sides, but West Ham were made to pay for some poor finishing and are left still looking for a first clean sheet in the league since February.
Marlon King passed a late fitness test, allowing the home side to name an unchanged side for the third straight game.
It was the Tigers striker who created the first chance of the game for his strike partner Daniel Cousin to volley just past the post.
West Ham handed a first start to Craig Bellamy for nearly a year and he showed flashes of being back to his dangerous best.
He got away down the left side and picked out Cole, only for the in-form forward to fire straight at Myhill.
Dean Marney volleyed just wide and then drilled one over the bar as the home side picked up the pace.
At the other end Hull allowed Ilunga a free header from a left-wing corner only for the defender to glance badly wide.
Valon Behrami shot just past the post and Bellamy blazed over after a neat knock down by Cole as the Hammers had their best spell at the end of the first half.
But Hull came out for the second period a rejuvenated side, with King volleying just past the post in the early stages.
They went in front within five minutes of the restart when Dawson floated a corner over and Turner climbed above Julien Faubert to power a header in.
West Ham could have levelled almost immediately when Behrami burst down the right and picked out Cole in the area.
Zola rued wasted Hammers chances
He turned and as he fell to the ground he managed to get a shot in from inside the six-yard box, but his effort came back off the underside of the bar.
Kamil Zayatte was close to adding a second for the Tigers when he picked up the ball in the centre circle and was allowed to advance with the ball towards the West Ham goal, before firing a rising shot just over the bar.
West Ham threatened in patches, with Matthew Etherington having their best chance of earning a point when he volleyed into the side-netting after strong play down the left side by Cole.
Hull boss Phil Brown: "I thought the first half performance was one of a two-week break - we looked a bit rusty.
"At times we gave the ball away too cheaply and West Ham caused us problems because of it.
"But defensively we were bang at it again. That's three wins on the bounce and two clean sheets. We have conceded one goal in three games against quality opposition."
West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola: "It's very hard to take. I don't think that we deserved to lose but sometimes football is like that.
"We missed two very good chances. It very difficult to accept but we have to think to the next game.
"We didn't deserve to concede a goal but Turner made a great jump."
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