Ask The Expert: Can Workers Who Work Near Machines Have Beards?

QUESTION

Are there any OHS regulations about the length of beards for workers who work with machinery’

ANSWER

Yes and No.

EXPLANATION

OHS regulations state that facial hair must be confined, e.g., via use of a beard net, or kept short enough to avoid entanglement with moving machinery parts. They also require workers to keep long hair confined and ban them from wearing loose-fitting clothing, dangling neckwear, bracelets, rings, wrist watches, jewelry or other items that pose entanglement hazards. But the OHS regulations don’t say anything specific about length of beard or hair. Bottom Line: It’s up to employers to make that determination’or simply require that all beards and facial hair be confined regardless of length.