Disarm...or else.

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Completely pointless thread but I just came across the most idiotic health and safety rules in a workplace so far in my area of work.

Apparently, this chemical company who will remain unnamed has some very unique health and safety rules. What are these rules I hear you? We'll.......all knives are banned on site unless it's a site permitted knife and worse still, you need to wear chainmail gloves while using it. Are a bunch of five year olds working on site or something?

I thought it was a joke until I was made a delivery to the site and was asked to hand over anything from an extensive banned from site list. They included lighters, firearms (for some reason.....who takes a shotgun to work?) And knives.

I had to hand over my beloved Opinel No7 at the site reception and came back out to find a paper sheath on the blade when it was given back. (It's a good knife, you should all get one)

It's a stark difference from my place of work where nobody cares when I pull it out and start poking at stuff in the staff canteen or walk around the office corridors with it in my pocket.

I got several write-ups for not wearing anti-cut sleeves and gloves at my last job while cutting.

Lol what did the job entail to warrant such harsh rules?

I work in a metal fabrication shop and the biggest problem is actually metal that looks good to touch but is actually 800 Celsius. Crush injuries is second followed closely by cuts and then machine accidents.

I had to take someone to hospital two weeks ago after he got bitten by a 70 ton press. They really do like to chomp on any offerings made to it.

Chemical companies are terrible for health and safety. Workers walk around looking spotlessly clean which is not surprising considering they're not allowed to do anything it seems. Companies like that just take everything to weird extremes. It's a huge contrast to the workshop and my usual steel sites were people come back covered in grease, dust and even set themselves on fire.

I used to get write-ups for meowing in the hallway.....

I agree it's a stupid rule. There are many stupid rules caused by the actions of stupid people.

Parts running/logistics in a car factory. They just didn't want to get in s**t if/when somebody cut themselves with a box cutter, my main complaint was that the gear made me itchy and overheated so I couldn't wear it all the time and putting it on took more time than the actual cutting task I had to do.

The worst thing about it is that a think nothing actually promoted such a rule change. I think some idiot just thought it up.

Meowing in the workshop is an inside joke where I work. I have a love of cats and everyone have weird meowing fits from time to time when they see me.

Being written up for meowing sounds brutal. I throw bolts at seagulls in the yard and tell the draftsman I'm going to shoot him one day and he usually smirks. He just asks me why I want to shoot him first over other people on work and I just say it's because he's bald.

I find anti-cut gloves irritating. For things like basic handling I don't see the purpose of them.

In work people have had some impressive cuts but there is no real managerial freak out. People get hurt from time to time and they accept it. It's just a job requirement of handing hot, heavy and sharp steel all day. Everyone breaks a bone or leaves a blood trail sooner or later but they all survive.

I noticed the less commonplace injuries are the greater the over reaction to them are.

If injuries are normalized there won't be a reaction, but ideally policies should cause injuries to not be a normal, everyday occurrence. If they are somebody isn't doing their job right.

Injuries are more weekly or monthly with my workshop. We have a different way of handling safety with "toolbox talks". These are basically a topic like working from hight or working with grinders where safe working on that topic is refreshed with everyone. We have basic PPE that is mandatory too. Ear plugs, safety glasses, steel toes, overalls and gloves of some sort. (protect against heat or cuts....take your pick. I prefer welding gauntlets)

If you injure yourself after that it's more of a case of "we told you so". Hand injuries are by far the most common. I broke my hand a couple of years back and put on lighter duties like driving and small stuff. A guy two weeks ago was munched pretty bad by a machine and he's on light duties now too. My place actually lets you come back to work a couple of days after a pretty nasty injury which I commend them for.

I used to work in a lab with radioactive materials. There were safety procedures in place, and a log book so inspectors could see that no materials left the lab, etc.

Inspectors cared more about getting the paperwork perfect than how the isotopes were used and disposed of. One person working in the lab just dumped the isotopes down the drain. The regular drain.

BTW, I am also fond of opinel knives, but lost the last one and have not replaced it. For every day knives, I am now using Mora knives out of Sweden.

Usually am only meowing at cats . And generally only strange cats in the yard. And quite sure .
Some neighbours think me quite weird. When i do that.

Paperwork and rules can only go so far. Most of it seems to be about appeasing insurance companies and regulators. I pour god knows what down the drain from time to time but only rarely.

Opinels are amazing too. They're stupidly cheap and made from great steel. They're a great knife for work. Cheap enough to rival Stanley knives but a whole lore more durable. At home I might look for another knife instead though but I have to many Opinels anyway. O have a kitchen Opinel, bathroom Opinel, hallway Opinel and bedroom Opinel and probably a car one......why not.

I'm sure dates would love one on every room to make them feel at home.