Workplace prohibited Knives

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Taz said:
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.
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Hoplophobia prompted the change, not people carrying perfectly reasonable tools
 
I was a teacher for 30 years and about halfway through my career they banned teachers having pocket knives. I carried mine anyway, with no repercussions. Then I worked two years on the secure side of the local airport, so knives were not allowed at all. I didn't try to bring one due to the immense legal ramifications. It was rough because I hate knife-free environments. One thing that really pissed me off at the airport is when contractors and construction workers would literally be on the tarmac, as me but would not be searched when they went up the elevator into the terminal. They had tool boxes and gear that was never checked by security. The same security hassled me when I had a kotter pin in my pocket as I was being wanded. Security is a big show.
 
Some of the folders were over the legal size limits in the state, others were illegally carrying auto's as well. One person reported items stolen from their locker and wanted reimbursement for items that were illegal or inappropriate to carry and the attorney said we needed a policy since we didn't really have one at that time. I also tried getting a folder authorized and issued as well as the multi tool, but just the multi tool got approved.
 
rtc71 said:
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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I'm fortunate to be the boss, I make the decision on what's allowed or not. I know several people have concealed firearms and people carry folders daily. Frankly it doesn't bother me at all, to the contrary I'd rather people be armed. Last year we had the bank on our street get robbed and they locked down the entire area, the robber escaped. We secured our facility and being armed was highly advantageous. I'm an army vet and have several vets who work for me as well, I feel safer knowing if a lunatic decides to come hold us hostage after a bank robbery or a disgruntled employee comes back for revenge that people with training and experience have the tools to protect themselves and those around them.

Blues said:
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.
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Ironically, military bases were largely gun free zones for my time active duty. When fort hood had the big shooting I was at fort bliss and it sucks being disarmed, bliss went into lockdown too, as we weren't sure if some larger attack was happening. The guys who run mk19s, 240b and saws having literally nothing if something goes down is unbelievably idiotic. I hear they've made some changes, thankfully.

Back on knives, there's a million other stabbing items that are equal or worse than knives that are not regulated in the areas they don't allow knives. Just look at prisons, if people want to stab or harm someone a pen will become lethal.

Not a fan of illogical restrictions on people's ability to carry blades (or other things for that matter).
 
The company always had a no weapons policy, but now the pocket knife thing they are saying is a safety issue. They said they are focused on preventing cuts, punctures , and other injuries that can happen when unauthorized cutting tools are used 🙄 they allow us to use the safety cutters provided by them (that don't really work worth a cuss)
The pay and benefits are good, so I guess I will obey the rule and call it stupid. Tried to cut a plastic packing slip envelope open on a box to get the packing slip out and it took me three tries to do it because the stupid blade keeps retracting back into the handle. I have my Kershaw Blur in my car and it is going right back into my pocket the moment I leave today.
 
Anecdotal, sure, but the only stitches I've ever needed were the result of a self-retracting "safety" cutter in good working order slipping from a failed attempt at using it to cut a zip tie from a store display. Maybe gloves would've saved me a stitch or 2.
 
edgelion said:
Anecdotal, sure, but the only stitches I've ever needed were the result of a self-retracting "safety" cutter in good working order slipping from a failed attempt at using it to cut a zip tie from a store display. Maybe gloves would've saved me a stitch or 2.
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I've never used the safety cutters but they sound akin to the safety gas can nozzles 🙄
 
edgelion said:
Anecdotal, sure, but the only stitches I've ever needed were the result of a self-retracting "safety" cutter in good working order slipping from a failed attempt at using it to cut a zip tie from a store display. Maybe gloves would've saved me a stitch or 2.
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I got stitches on the knuckles of my middle finger at work one time at a previous job picking up a round milling roller we were going to send out to have machined. The roller beside the one I was picking up had a burr on it and it sliced my finger as I was lifting it.
After I got back from getting stitched up (and peeing in a cup which they did first before looking at my finger) the Saftey Guy was waiting on me and started his interrogation. It came down to he said it was my fault and asked me why I wasnt wearing cut gloves 🙄 I told him I didnt think about getting cut picking up a round roller but was more concerned with mashing my finger or hurting my back. At the end of the day those guys don't believe in "accidents" and always say if you get hurt it was because you did something wrong.
 
I worked with a gas compression company a few years ago and their hr department and safety director wanted to ban pocket knives. There was a loud groan throughout the room. They announced it in a company meeting all hands on deck and the president and other company officials pulled their own pocket knives out and put them on the table front and center. They said we carry and use pocket knives on a daily basis and so do most of the techs, operators and mechanics as well as the field hands. No one has been seriously injured or any kind of problems with knives in the history of this company. So there will be no ban on pocket knives. That was the end of the discussion. 😆
 
Unfortunately my employer has been doing this for some time! I work maintenance at a huge aluminum plant so like you I’m using grinders all types of saws, but I cannot use anything other than a self retracting razor knife when a knife is needed 😑 anyone who has ever used one knows they are terrible and useless!
 
Stelth said:
I was a teacher for 30 years and about halfway through my career they banned teachers having pocket knives. I carried mine anyway, with no repercussions. Then I worked two years on the secure side of the local airport, so knives were not allowed at all. I didn't try to bring one due to the immense legal ramifications. It was rough because I hate knife-free environments. One thing that really pissed me off at the airport is when contractors and construction workers would literally be on the tarmac, as me but would not be searched when they went up the elevator into the terminal. They had tool boxes and gear that was never checked by security. The same security hassled me when I had a kotter pin in my pocket as I was being wanded. Security is a big show.
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I was a GSE tech at PIT a while back. We could bring tools, knives etc because we had a serious government background check and a badge with a code we typed in every time.
 
id blame the insurance more than the company owner.

insurance is getting real nasty lately. I finally had to install cameras in every work vehicle...with Ai monitoring. its a major headache, and I pushed it off for years, but I got cornered into do it or your dropped.......

they also came down hard on warehouse and field safety. we always were pretty good on safety rules and equipment required...but the insurance industry has turned up the volume to 11, and the threats and site visits have increased heavily. they want to reduce the risk to almost nothing and at the same time increase the premiums dramatically. all this translates to higher end costs to products and services you buy.

smaller competitors I know haven't quite been caught up into this yet, but they will.... all my equal and bigger competitors have already gone through this.

its a bad era to run a business......every year gets harder and harder and costs more to do it........between corporate customers refusing to pay anything or even their bills on time and corporate supplier constantly raising their prices...and add in lawyers and insurance, its a battle to see who will squeeze you to death first in this corporate squeeze game.......
 
The world now is full of ridiculous rules and regulations, and plenty of power mad, bossy , small minded control freaks willing to rat you out ! 🤬

But decent jobs aren't always easy to find . Might just have to suck it up ?

I've been fully retired for a long time. Thanks for reminding me how great it is ! :p
 
Well, I'll say this about that.
I worked in restaurants for many years. Had to use the box cutters they sent us. The first thing team members would do was to disable the safety feature. Saw a couple of really nice cuts from those.
I recently sharpened a pocket knife for a manager at one of the restaurants (70 on Bess). He told an employee, " don't do this". He then tried to cut a plastic hose... the knife went through unexpectedly easily causing him to lose control of the knife and cutting himself well enough to have blood spurt out.

The bottom line... you can have as many safety rules as you would like. The problem though, is you can't fix stupid.
 
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