Construction firm Mears Group PLC (LON:MER) has come under fire for its "hair-raising" decision to ban its workers from having beards for health and safety seasons.
The company, which provides repairs and maintenance to social housing, told staff in a letter: “Operatives who work in a potentially dusty environment – all of ours – must come to work clean shaven to be able to wear dust masks effectively.”
Exceptions include religious purposes or being unable to shave or wear a dusk mask for medical reasons. However, a medical certificate or letter from place of worship must be provided.
A goatee may be acceptable so long as it allows the worker to wear a tight-fitting face mask.
'Arrogance of Mears is hair-raising', says Unite union...
Britain’s largest union, Unite, accused Mears of being cheap, saying it could have invested in other types of masks that would allow for beards.
Unite’s regional official for London, Mark Soave, said: “The arrogance of Mears is hair-raising. This is a highly delicate issue, which has huge cultural, religious and personal issues and where sensitivity should be the watchword. Instead members have been handed a decree from on high.
Soave added: “This is clearly a case of Mears going for the cheapest option and amounts to penny-pinching stupidity. Other forms of masks are available and these should be offered to existing workers. Unite will always put the safety of our members first and creating huge resentment and anger among your workforce is never the way forward. Mears needs to withdraw this decree and enter into a proper consultation with Unite and the workforce.”
Mears defends its policy on beards...
The health and safety director of Mears, Mark Elkington, defended its decision, accusing Unite of not taking the safety of its members seriously.
“We are pretty surprised that Unite, who claim to have the safety of workers at heart have taken this disappointing stance,” he said in a statement. “Every employer in the UK has a legal responsibility to ensure that employees working in dusty or otherwise potentially hazardous environments are properly protected and in recent years employers have been prosecuted for failing to fulfil this duty.
“The simple fact is that no dust mask can work effectively unless it forms a seal against the skin. That is not possible with a beard or even heavy stubble. If the Health and Safety Executive did a spot site visit and found workers wearing dust masks that were not sealed against the face then we would be liable to prosecution.”