Found out I can't use a knife at work.

Y

yepimonfire

Joined
Nov 7, 2013
Messages
465
Just got in trouble for it today. Was handed a retracting safety knife and told not to see it again. Sucks too because I have an opportunity to use a knife about 20x a day. Also a vast majority of professions where a knife would be used seem to be strongly against the use of real knives for safety reasons. Almost every place I've worked has done this to me.
 
I would also be interested in what knife was it? Where you flicking it open and close? Or using it for a task?
 
yepimonfire said:
Just got in trouble for it today. Was handed a retracting safety knife and told not to see it again. Sucks too because I have an opportunity to use a knife about 20x a day. Also a vast majority of professions where a knife would be used seem to be strongly against the use of real knives for safety reasons. Almost every place I've worked has done this to me.
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SUCKS NOT JMHO, you should be happy to have a job in this crappy ecomoney, and you know what. Employeers have a right to make rules, as they are your boss, so the best advice to you if if you don't liike the rules where you work. Go out and find a utopia job, and good luck finding one.

Maybe you should become a self employeed person, or independent contractors. but the bad news is you will still be bound by rules, and regulations of where you work.
 
Whoever made that rule to not allow knife use at your work is very ignorant.......sometimes I hate being self employed because of a few negative things that happen, but when I hear stories like this I'm glad to be my own boss and I use knives every single day at my job.

Honestly I would hire the guy that carries a knife before I hire a non knife guy.
 
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The main reason is their insurance company. I've been over the safety for two gov't agencies and two private companies over the last several years and some of the things some of the insurance companies require or recommend would blow your mind (thank goodness it's not a full time job, or I'd be loony by now :yawn: !!!) Now, some companies just have their own SOP that would exceed all ins. and safety rules and follow them to a "T".
 
Custom made safety cutter. Imagine the possibilities. :D

Seriously, if you use one all day every day, it would be worth looking into a custom build. :thumbup:
 
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The Government said:
Custom made safety cutter. Imagine the possibilities. :D

Seriously, if you use one all day every day, it would be worth looking into a custom build. :thumbup:
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Nope, had to be the exact approved version
The_Knife_Man said:
Where do you work at? Or without getting too personal, what type of work?
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Warehouse style job

Rare blade said:
Out of curiosity what knife is the one you take to work?
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A non threatening folding knife. Just regular plain Jane obviously made for utility purposes. And no I wasn't flicking it and playing with it. I was actually using it to cut ties, plastic wrap, boxes etc. and the guy who mentioned insurance stuff, it probably has to do with that. The knife they gave me is obviously the most ridiculous baby proof blade. It only stays open as long as you hold the lever down, blade only protrude like 1/8 inch.
 
I guess the concern here being that you might have an accident with your own knife, and then turn around and sue the company you work for because they should have babied you, or given you a knife you couldn't possibly cut yourself with??

Sometimes I have to step back and take a moment to consider this is actually the world we live in :barf:

If you would sue your employer over your own damn mistake, kill yourself.
 
Safety box knives DO prevent accidents. Your employer is wise in not letting employees use whatever they want for work.

What you have in your pocket is your business, but what you use to do your job is theirs.
 
UTC world wide policy, no knives for work other than automatically retracting safety knives...unless you get very special dispensation. The only two places I know where I work that other knives are used is the foam packing station, which uses a kitchen knife to trim over expanded urethane foam, and the canteen kitchen itself.

UTC is very hot on Health and Safety and it is their stated aim to reduce laceration injuries across all their sites to zero. They are a huge company and own Goodrich Aerospace, Hamilton Sundstrand, Sikorsky, Pratt and Whitney and Otis Elevators, for starters.
 
yepimonfire said:
...It only stays open as long as you hold the lever down, blade only protrude like 1/8 inch.
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I recall once that thousands of Mercury vehicles were recalled due to the possibility that a shipment of belts/hoses/whatever may have been sliced by a knife when their boxes were opened.

If the company provides the tools they wish you to use, it's a win/win/win. You don't dull your own knife, the company saves money, and the insurance company is happy. :thumbup:
 
In the past I have worked warehouse jobs where only approved safety knives, and cut resistant gloves, were allowed.

And the above post is right, damaged product is a large part of it.

Now I do a differant type of work. We can use whatever knife we wish. It can't damage our product, and us cutting ourselves is the least of my boss's worries (injury wise).
 
Bob W said:
I recall once that thousands of Mercury vehicles were recalled due to the possibility that a shipment of belts/hoses/whatever may have been sliced by a knife when their boxes were opened.

If the company provides the tools they wish you to use, it's a win/win/win. You don't dull your own knife, the company saves money, and the insurance company is happy. :thumbup:
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^^ I agree. Let them supply the equipment for use on the job and keep your stuff nice. tom. :cool:
 
This stinks for ya but you have to do what the man wants if you want the pay check. I just hope this attitude does not make it to my job. I would have a tough time in my job with a stupid safety knife.
IMO making someone do a job with an inferior tool is more dangerous.

Insurance companies reek of stupidity.
 
There is an outdoor store here that has the same policy. No personal knives, no personal tools. It's their insurance policy and store policy. I co-owned a drywall business and while doing a few track homes got yelled out for using a razor knife that did not have a retractable blade. I was given one of those "safety" knives (even had a cool lanyard and a holster!) that I had to use on their jobs. Those were the last houses our company did for that company!
 
I feel your pain. I worked in a warehouse for a while and actually found that I preferred the uline economy cutter over a regular knife. I also discovered that a set of dikes was far superior to a knife when it came to cutting zip ties. That being said, I don't know what I would do if they told me I couldn't carry my knife. I'd feel naked!
 
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