Jewelry

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RyanA

RyanA

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Location
Wyoming
I searched for this, but found nothing. There are a few people at the shop I work for that refuse to take wedding rings and such off at work. I see this as a hazard, and not just from getting shocked.

If you should happen to slip on a ladder and grab for something to balance yourself, your ring could easily snag and rip the flesh off of your finger. What are your thoughts on this?
 
infinity

infinity

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Location
New Jersey
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Journeyman Electrician
IMO it's rather stupid to have a solid piece of metal wrapped around your finger while working. There are documented cases where workers got their rings caught and had their fingers removed. I went to apprentice school with someone who slipped on the metal ladder of a bucket truck, got her wedding ring caught on the ladder rung and had her entire body weight supported by the ring. She needed to have her finger surgically reattached.

As I said before it's not what I would consider to be a bright idea but to each his own. I won't wear mine on the job, ever.
 
jxofaltrds

jxofaltrds

Inspector Mike®
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Mike P. Columbus Ohio
Occupation
ESI, PI, RBO
RyanA said:
I searched for this, but found nothing. There are a few people at the shop I work for that refuse to take wedding rings and such off at work. I see this as a hazard, and not just from getting shocked.

If you should happen to slip on a ladder and grab for something to balance yourself, your ring could easily snag and rip the flesh off of your finger. What are your thoughts on this?
Click to expand...

Under the 1st Amendment you can not make them remove the wedding ring. You could however do what they did in the military require it to be protected. IE tape.

It is a safety hazard, I use to do it, so I do think that an employer has the right to limit safety hazards.

Do you have uniforms at your company? Follow me?
 
RyanA

RyanA

Member
Location
Wyoming
We don't have uniforms really. We have company t-shirts that the bosses prefer that we wear, that's it really. Not supposed to wear anything that promotes alcohol or drugs.

I agree about not wanting something metal wrapped around my fingers, heck I don't even wear a watch. I've got 2 phones, there is no need :grin:
 
zog

zog

Senior Member
Location
Charlotte, NC
If you are working on or near ebergized equipment there are some OSHA standards that will prohibit conductive objects like rings, but otherwise it is only just a "bad idea". Saw a guy get his finger ripped off on my submarine.
 
W

WorkSafe

Senior Member
Location
Moore, OK
jxofaltrds said:
Under the 1st Amendment you can not make them remove the wedding ring. You could however do what they did in the military require it to be protected. IE tape.
Click to expand...

Not sure when you were in the military, but I know for the last 15 years we have never been allowed to "tape" our rings. They always had to come off when working (I was a aircraft mechanic before getting into safety).

We do not allow any jewelry to be worn in the industrial work areas. Somebody rfuses to comply, they find themselves going home without pay.
 
jxofaltrds

jxofaltrds

Inspector Mike®
Location
Mike P. Columbus Ohio
Occupation
ESI, PI, RBO
WorkSafe said:
Not sure when you were in the military, but I know for the last 15 years we have never been allowed to "tape" our rings. They always had to come off when working (I was a aircraft mechanic before getting into safety).

We do not allow any jewelry to be worn in the industrial work areas. Somebody rfuses to comply, they find themselves going home without pay.
Click to expand...

I remember it from basic training.

Can not remember if we worn any in the shop or on the flight line. Probably not but I do not remember.
 
RoberteFuhr

RoberteFuhr

Member
Location
Covington, WA.
NFPA 70E Section 130.6 (Other Precautions for Personnel Activities) states,

(D) Conductive Articles Being Worn. Conductive articles of jewelry and clothing (such as watchbands, bracelets, rings, key chains, necklaces, metalized aprons, cloth with conductive thread, metal headgear, or metal frame glasses) shall not be worn where they present an electrical contact
hazard with exposed energized electrical conductors or circuit parts.
 
J

jim dungar

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Wisconsin
Occupation
PE (Retired) - Power Systems
...shall not be worn where they present an electrical contact hazard with exposed energized electrical conductors or circuit parts.
Click to expand...

I am trying to envision a general scenario, except for actually crawling into gear, where a belt buckle, pants zipper, or underwire bra is capable of contacting exposed parts.

We need to stop picking selected words out of complete sentences, otherwise we could keep taking this to an extreme and address orthodontia (braces) and amalgam teeth fillings.
 
roger

roger

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Fl
Occupation
Retired Electrician
We work at a few facilities that have no jewelry policies, if we want to continue working for these companies we must abide by their rules or loose the contract to someone else, this is pretty much the end of the story as far as we are concerned, so we (our employees) abide by their rules.

Roger
 
iwire

iwire

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Massachusetts
jim dungar said:
I am trying to envision a general scenario, except for actually crawling into gear, where a belt buckle, pants zipper, or underwire bra is capable of contacting exposed parts.

We need to stop picking selected words out of complete sentences, otherwise we could keep taking this to an extreme and address orthodontia (braces) and amalgam teeth fillings.
Click to expand...

If it as you say then what do you think the point of putting that section into 70E was?
 
J

jim dungar

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Wisconsin
Occupation
PE (Retired) - Power Systems
iwire said:
If it as you say then what do you think the point of putting that section into 70E was?
Click to expand...
They put in a complete descriptive sentence on purpose.

When there is a possibility of the metal causing contact, such as a ring on a finger or a watch on a hand, it is a problem. Incidental metal, like a stud in the nose or rivets on coverall pockets, will not be able to contact energized parts for most workers.

Absolutely there are cases that need to be addressed, and there will always be some company's policy against some things. My point is that most, if not all, of NFPA70E has been written in 'shades of gray' on purpose.

Each company must create and enforce their own electrical safe work practices.

FWIW, I had my wedding ring resized years ago. My wife said she couldn't believe that I would put my self at risk of injury over something so simple, my wanting to come home safe, every night, was enough proof of my commitment.
 
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P

petersonra

Senior Member
Location
Northern illinois
Occupation
engineer
One of our customers has a policy that you can either take the rings and watches off, or put a glove over them. They supply the gloves. It's to keep them from falling in the vats of edibles they make there and having it end up in someones mouth.

Although, the metal detectors they installed a few years ago probably would catch a ring.

Floor workers are not allowed to wear shirts with pockets either, so they won't accidentally put a pen or something in their shirt pocket and have it fall in a vat.
 
iwire

iwire

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Massachusetts
jim dungar said:
They put in a complete descriptive sentence on purpose.

When there is a possibility of the metal causing contact, such as a ring on a finger or a watch on a hand, it is a problem. Incidental metal, like a stud in the nose or rivets on coverall pockets, will not be able to contact energized parts for most workers.
Click to expand...

Jim, lets say I am the corporate safety director and allow someone to wear metal objects while doing hot work because I don't think it is likely the metal will come into contact with energized parts.

But it does happen, how will I defend myself?

This is the same to me as the general rule for hot work 'unless shutting it down creates additional hazards'.
 
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