Workplace prohibited Knives

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chevyrulez1

chevyrulez1

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Well, I got the dreaded e-mail from the safety guy, "pocket knives are not permitted at work" 😫
So it looks like this is my choice of edc cutting tools going forward, the safety cutter and utility knife where the blade retracts automatically as soon as you touch something 🙄
It is funny that we can used power tools, sawzalls, cuttoff wheels on grinders turning at high rpm, but we are not trusted to use a pocket knife. I am without a knife in my pocket at work for the first time in my working career since I started working on the farm when I was 13 years old.
Does anyone else have a workplace that prohibits knives? Any ideas for decent work arounds?
I believe in following the rules and don't want to risk my job with non-compliance, so it just sucks for me right now.
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No, and I can't believe that's actually a thing. Can you get your doctor to deem it medically necessary? Or explain that it's a requirement of your religious beliefs. Put a little red vest on it that says "support tool". Surely there's a way to Fight stupid with ridiculous.
 
Refuse to use the power tools as they are more unsafe than a pocket knife?
Start an uproar?

Edit: Obviously do it the right way with a written letter or grievance highlighting the points why a pocket knife is more appropriate for the work being performed and still safe.
 
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Insurance companies are killing the trades and the safety rules are getting out of hand. Last year before I retired I was on a Turner job at the Cleveland Clinic. You were required to to wear safety glasses, gloves, high vis reflective vests at all times, indoors. As well as ridiculous looking hard hats with chin straps which had to be strapped. One morning I was just walking to the shitter without my gloves, and the safety guy caught up with me and told me to put my gloves while walking. Pocket knives were prohibited, and use of a knife is a last resort. I of course ignored this rule because my IBEW required tool list included a pocket knife and I was retiring. Also A frame ladders that have been used forever were not allowed on this job, instead u had to use Baker type scaffolds, which I felt was more dangerous than working off a regular ladder. The Safety people were the biggest jokes as they walk around looking like SWAT with all the safety gear they have on, and the only tools there carrying is a pen and clip board. I’m glad I retired when I did!

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Safety has become ridiculous! I am all for being safe but they are ridiculously unintelligent. They usually make the job harder and not safer. And it's safe to have a knife to open boxes and cut straps and rope and many other things. A flimsy razor knife does not get it done a lot of times. A knife is a necessary tool . Most of their safety rules are about releasing them of responsibility, not keeping people safe. Insurance purposes.
 
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Dang. Glad I’m retired. Carried a pocketknife pretty much everywhere, including school, all my life. Not sure you can even have a sharpened pencil in school now. Had a knife in my pocket the 20 years I worked in a state government office. Only place I can’t go with a knife now is our local courthouse, but a cellphone is considered dangerous and not allowed there, so…
 
My workplace not only forbade pocket knives but installed AI-powered weapon detectors and security staff at all public entrances.

Every time they announced some new security theater I put another knife or gun on my desk and thanked God for remote work.
 
Our Security Department did that a couple years ago, too. Sucked because I made some knives to match the University colors and stuff, small 2" bladed fixed blades and had some nice, small discrete folders. I was at least able to convince the bosses that we need at least a multi tool with a knife blade, so we bought Gerber Suspension NXT's for each person in the Department and they could also get their own normal sizes Multi Tool approved to carry on duty.

We had some people carrying larger folders as well as wrench based Multi Tools that were like 10" long, which is what prompted the change.
 
Oof. As extreme as it sounds I'd find a new job and im not even kidding. Even if it takes a year.

Im not living somewhere they restrict my freedoms and i'm not working there either. F em.
 
Richard338 said:
My work has armed security and a sign prohibiting weapons. I don't consider my pocket knife to be a weapon.
I sometimes imagine I'll get confronted like English Bob in Unforgiven.
I'm not armed! (well, except this for snakes and such)
Click to expand...
You do have an uncanny resemblance to The Duck of Death


The only place I've had to turn in my knives (and guns) was the federal courthouse during most of my working years. There was a time when neither of those had to be locked up, but times changed.
 
I give my employees knives so they have one to carry. In the shop and the office. Two of my employees open carry pistols everyday. I will admit that my insurance guy thinks I'm nuts, but better him than my people. He's not going to treat them like children on my watch. lol
 
As the boss man on my jobs, I strongly encourage the carrying of any knife, for that matter, any weapon that one feels comfortable carrying. If nobody likes it there free to find someone else to do there work.
 
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