Knives at your workplace.

I've been a field investigator for large national insurance companies since 2003. The meat and potatoes of the job involves in person interviews with various individuals that have filed claim(s) that need closer scrutiny. All of the companies I've worked with have a zero tolerance weapons policy. Several years ago we had an employee who apparently parked his personal car in the company parking lot. He had a gun in the car, and that somehow became known to management. I'm not clear on the full story, but somehow the gun in the car issue got elevated to HR. We had an internal investigation into the matter and it was determined that our National Director knew about the issue, but failed to handle it properly. The employee's head rolled, and weeks later so did the National Director's. This generated a massive "weapons policy awareness" push from HR to our unit. It is prohibited to have any sort of weapon on company property to include company vehicles. (We're all assigned take home cars and are authorized to use the vehicle's for personal use...but no weapons, even on personal time). No guns, pepper spray, stun guns....but knives...well that's a bit more murky. The Regional Director (who survived the bloodletting) acknowledged that a knife is a tool. You can carry a knife so long as it is a legal knife and not something huge "like a hunting knife". The whole thing is pretty dicey, so I just carry a SAK or traditional when in an office or out in the field meeting clients. That way if something needs cutting there's really no reasonable cause for a freak out by anyone. Things can still get cut, and I can still keep my job.

The silver lining is that I work from home unless in the field. So my office is my house, and I can have whatever I want here. Actually have a SharpMaker on the desk next to me...I should probably touch up a few blades during my coffee break. ;)
 
The only restrictions on a knife at the trucking company I work for, is:
1) Under 4.0 inch blade.
2) Cannot be confused for, or mistaken for, a "weapon".
3) Not an automatic/switchblade. (see rule number two.)

I generally carry traditional knives, like a stockman, canoe, SAK (or scout/camp knife), and a Buck 110.
 
bladeboss said:
Had to leave your ZT at home in favor for a Vic?

At my work, there isn't any written restrictions, but I have to use my head. (If that makes sense. No machetes strapped to my belt. :D)
Click to expand...

I have a ZT right now and I carry any folders I like. There are probably five people including the owner that carry knives here. I wouldn't come to work with a 8" fixed blade sheath dangling from my belt but besides that anything goes for me. Lots of other people have box cutters or a dept folding knife around on a shelf to open boxes etc... Most people see them as tools around here.
 
I carry whatever I want. I'd post pics, but pictures of my work is NSFW.
 
K.O.D. said:
I carry whatever I want. I'd post pics, but pictures of my work is NSFW.
Click to expand...

Understandable.
Thanks for the pics folks! If I wasnt on my phone I'd post some. (It's a pain to do it from my phone).
I find that I often just throw my Sodbuster in my pocket.
Strong enough to handle most stuff.

Before I got the job I have now, I applied to a department warehouse.
When I went for my interview, I had my Leatherman Wave clipped in my pocket.
I opened the front doors to be greeted by a metal detector.
Well before I even walked through it, I told the lady in the window what I had. Even took out and showed her.

"A knife!?"

"Well kinda. It's a Leatherman. The " pliers tool'' I said. Trying to make it more clear as to what it was.

"No. Nope. Can't have that here. I'll take it."

And it was confiscated.

"I can have it back when I'm done, right?"

"Yeah. I'll leave it here. Don't bring it back next time."

And the worst part is, that one of my tasks that I would have had to do there was stocking Kershaw knives on the inventory shelves. And hammers. And hatchets.
Glad I don't work there.
 
I'm an Industrial Design Major at my college. Everybody within the program carries knives. I've seen everything from swiss army knives and pocket leather mans up to some fairly large folders (I've seen a Zero Tolerance 0200, a Benchmade 940, and a few CRKT M21 Big Dogs). My Industrial Drawing Professor/Academic Advisor one told me that every Industrial Design major should carry at least TWO knives.
 
I'm the manager at a local retail pet food store. The owner doesn't care that I have multiple knives on me, and use them to open stuff all day. One of our employees had a bad habit of leaving the store box cutters out on the sales floor, frequently with blade open. The owner instituted a policy that if you need a blade to open something, it must be signed out and in by either me or her.

Now if someone needs a quick cut made, they just bring it to me. Even if I'm talking with a customer they just walk up, hand me a box, I pull out my knife, open it for them, and don't miss a beat in the conversation. My ZT 0200 that I sent off to get a "wave" cut in the blade was my daily user for a while. Now I've been hooked on my DCL pocket fixed blade. Haven't carried a folder since I got it.

I also keep a larger fixed blade on my belt, and most of the sheaths for the knives I carry on belt hang 1"-2" below the bottom of my polo.
 
So to summarize: Lose the pocket clips, go small, don't flash around, traditional designs often get a pass, "tactical" designs will cause problems except on manual-trades job sites.

What else?
 
Being a self employed plumber allows me the freedom to carry what I please and thankfully people expect me to have a knife on myself while at work. Still I usually keep it to medium sized folders, small fixed blades and traditional slip joints that fill my need as a cutting tool.
 
AreBeeBee said:
So to summarize: Lose the pocket clips, go small, don't flash around, traditional designs often get a pass, "tactical" designs will cause problems except on manual-trades job sites.

What else?
Click to expand...

Or, have a boss who doesn't care what you carry as long as you aren't a jackass when you're using it.
 
bladeboss said:
Understandable.
Thanks for the pics folks! If I wasnt on my phone I'd post some. (It's a pain to do it from my phone).
I find that I often just throw my Sodbuster in my pocket.
Strong enough to handle most stuff.

Before I got the job I have now, I applied to a department warehouse.
When I went for my interview, I had my Leatherman Wave clipped in my pocket.
I opened the front doors to be greeted by a metal detector.
Well before I even walked through it, I told the lady in the window what I had. Even took out and showed her.

"A knife!?"

"Well kinda. It's a Leatherman. The " pliers tool'' I said. Trying to make it more clear as to what it was.

"No. Nope. Can't have that here. I'll take it."

And it was confiscated.

"I can have it back when I'm done, right?"

"Yeah. I'll leave it here. Don't bring it back next time."

And the worst part is, that one of my tasks that I would have had to do there was stocking Kershaw knives on the inventory shelves. And hammers. And hatchets.
Glad I don't work there.
Click to expand...
I was joking. I'm a desk jockey, not a porn star.
 
JOELSM said:
I've been a field investigator for large national insurance companies since 2003. The meat and potatoes of the job involves in person interviews with various individuals that have filed claim(s) that need closer scrutiny. All of the companies I've worked with have a zero tolerance weapons policy. Several years ago we had an employee who apparently parked his personal car in the company parking lot. He had a gun in the car, and that somehow became known to management. I'm not clear on the full story, but somehow the gun in the car issue got elevated to HR. We had an internal investigation into the matter and it was determined that our National Director knew about the issue, but failed to handle it properly. The employee's head rolled, and weeks later so did the National Director's. This generated a massive "weapons policy awareness" push from HR to our unit. It is prohibited to have any sort of weapon on company property to include company vehicles. (We're all assigned take home cars and are authorized to use the vehicle's for personal use...but no weapons, even on personal time). No guns, pepper spray, stun guns....but knives...well that's a bit more murky. The Regional Director (who survived the bloodletting) acknowledged that a knife is a tool. You can carry a knife so long as it is a legal knife and not something huge "like a hunting knife". The whole thing is pretty dicey, so I just carry a SAK or traditional when in an office or out in the field meeting clients. That way if something needs cutting there's really no reasonable cause for a freak out by anyone. Things can still get cut, and I can still keep my job.

The silver lining is that I work from home unless in the field. So my office is my house, and I can have whatever I want here. Actually have a SharpMaker on the desk next to me...I should probably touch up a few blades during my coffee break. ;)
Click to expand...
There was much bro ha ha at my previous job about whether the company could stop people with concealed carry permits from having a gun on premises. It was grudgingly determined that a gun in a personal car in the parking lot was allowed.
 
My old career as a lighting and sound tech (not a roadie, I can count higher than four) I had one employer who required three things from every employee: Sharpie, adjustable wrench, and leatherman. mini-mag was optional. We would get into all kinds of hassle with hotels and venues, but at the end of the day, when the guy in a suit and tie walks up to the well meaning, minimum wage security guard who is just trying to enforce policy, the discussion is short and one-sided.
With my new job doing adventure activities there are a lot of people who don't carry all the time, but its more that we have rescue knives all over the place, so pocket knives are less common. Common sense when working with kids, you don't carry too openly. Even paddling vest knives are a bit of a concern, as they are hard to retain, and on occasion a kid will freak out and attack, not so good. My current carry is a spyderco roadie (haha) in my pocket, and a modified skeletool in a ribz pack. One of my employers requires point free knives, not a big deal we all deal with incidents with rules, so the skeletool is nipped, But it is a rope rescue knife, so a point is not really a feature I need. At least I don't work at the place that requires helmets for their flat-water canoe sessions! In general its an industry where everyone should have a knife, and they range from Vic knockoffs to high end spydercos, depending on the person's background and previous life experience. Some guys just toss a plastic cover on a vic paring knife, and call it good, and some carry some insane cord wrapped tactical nightmares. To each his own, as long as you carry your own gear!
 
I'm a union millwright and policies are different from contractor to contractor. I'm currently working for a company in a power plant that in safety orientation, told us that pocket knives were prohibited and only spring loaded utility knives were to be used..... Then the superintendent that was giving the training whipped out his waved Endura while he was reading the handbook to us. Lol! So we pretty much got a pass I guess
 
AreBeeBee said:
So to summarize: Lose the pocket clips, go small, don't flash around, traditional designs often get a pass, "tactical" designs will cause problems except on manual-trades job sites.

What else?
Click to expand...

Good point. Or know your surroundings and pick and choose which one you pull out in certain situations. No one bats an eye at a mini copperlock and won't notice what's on my belt or in my other pockets...
 
AntDog said:
I'm a supervisor in the Computer to Plate department at a printing plant. Carrying a knife is almost mandatory. We cut stuff all day long every day.

There is a rule in the company handbook that bans the carry of any knife with a blade longer than 3". Nobody follows it or pays it any mind.

That said, the knife I carry is compliant... but still a brute for a 3" blade. :)



Thread is worthless without pics...
Click to expand...

Can I ask what model Swamp Rat that is?

Cheers
 
I used to have my endura with me. I got two remarks from some ladies, one liked it a lot(she keeps a knife on her too), the other wondered if it was illegal.

This summer in my region, a OC transport public bus driver got fired for have a Pocket knife on his belt. I think his worker union did not even want to defend him...so it is not very socially acceptable it seems... I did well to move out of the city and up in the forested mountains! :D
 
I currently teaches English and learn mandarin at Taiwan, i usually conceal carry a Kershaw Cryo in the campus, no one knows besides my close buddies. At work at a Restaurant i carry 3 knives, at first my co-worker thought i was some type of serial killer(since knife is so unpopular here) a few even ask if this was legal, but after knowing me better the boss allows me to carry whatever i like
 
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