15 replies to this topic

[Loren]

Hi All,

 

Is it unacceptable for employees to wear hat/cap in addition to hairnet?

 

 

Regards,

Lorena

 

 

[Tony-C]

Hi Lorena,

 

The issue here, assuming that you mean like a cap on top of the hairnet, is that you are then talking about allowing a non-laundered and possibly non-controlled item of protective clothing.

 

I see woolly hats permitted under hairnets for coldstore staff occasionally but the use of hairnets and caps is 'old hat' for want of a better pun.

 

Regards,

 

Tony

[RG3]

Hi All,

 

Is it unacceptable for employees to wear hat/cap in addition to hairnet?

 

 

Regards,

Lorena

If you decide to let employees to wear a cap in addition to a hairnet, please make it so that the hairnet goes over the cap/beanie. The reason for this is that you will notice most employees will wear that cap outside of the work area without the hairnet. This will lead to loosen hairs being trapped inside the hat an can "release" from the cap at any given time if they return with it in the processing area.

 

If you're talking about a bump cap, it will be better since it is not made of a material that will entrap hair and is cleanable. In this case a hairnet can go under a bump cap.

[MWidra]

I think this is a common sense issue.  I have longish hair, which does not want to stay in the hairnet if it is stuffed up in it as it hangs.  If I put on a baseball cap, and put my hair out through the back hole, then it is very easily confined in the hairnet, which is worn over the cap.  I also am prone to sun stroke if I'm out in the summer sun, and need to wear a head covering when walking to and from the food grade building and walking around it.  So I need the cap in the summer anyway.

 

I've got very thin fine hair, and trying to restrain it into a pony tail usually fails after a short period of time.  Braiding works, and I sometimes do that, but none of that protects my head from the sun.

 

The way that I use the hairnet and cap properly prevents lose hairs from leaving my person and getting into the food, and it protects my head from the summer sun.  From a performance basis, I feel that I should be OK.

 

Any opinions?

 

Martha

[Mr. Incognito]

I tend to argue against any kind of hat unless it's a knit cap being worn in a chiller or freezer for health and safety issues unless they are company issued and are required to be kept on site.

 

One issue I've seen is where people wore in ballcaps from home and wore them over under their ballcaps but many were really dirty as heck.  When our quality manager changed the new one made a rule of no ballcaps because unless they are kept onsite you don't know what kinds of bacteria may reside on them and unlike uniforms or clothing there is a much lower chance that they are getting washed.

[MWidra]

I tend to argue against any kind of hat unless it's a knit cap being worn in a chiller or freezer for health and safety issues unless they are company issued and are required to be kept on site.

 

One issue I've seen is where people wore in ballcaps from home and wore them over under their ballcaps but many were really dirty as heck.  When our quality manager changed the new one made a rule of no ballcaps because unless they are kept onsite you don't know what kinds of bacteria may reside on them and unlike uniforms or clothing there is a much lower chance that they are getting washed.

First off, good to see that you survived the snow.

 

I can understand the cleanliness issue for the ball caps.  I'm the only person on site that uses one, and it is kept clean.  The thought of having one that I keep at work and only use for onsite use is a good idea, and I'll institute that practice for me.  But I get light headed if I'm out in the sun without a hat.

 

Maybe a welder's skull cap under the hair net would work as well and be more sanitary?

 

Martha

[Mr. Incognito]

First off, good to see that you survived the snow.

 

 

Winter is young my friend.  Let's make sure I survive the entire season

 

I can understand the cleanliness issue for the ball caps.  I'm the only person on site that uses one, and it is kept clean.  The thought of having one that I keep at work and only use for onsite use is a good idea, and I'll institute that practice for me.  But I get light headed if I'm out in the sun without a hat.

 

Maybe a welder's skull cap under the hair net would work as well and be more sanitary?

 

Martha

 

Well as long as it's properly set up and controlled hats can be acceptable.  If you are the only one using it, you wear it over your hairnet, and keep it on site then I'd say it's fine.  Even if other people wear them as long as they are clean, kept on site, and worn over the hairnet I'd say that should be fine.

 

What I've seen before is hunters with dirty hats they've worn hunting (blood, e coli, listeria, etc. maybe) in a plant.  Now our product was supposed to be cooked properly but it was a product that I've known people to eat raw.  So even though it could be improperly used outside of its intended use risk was there.

[Tony-C]

Hi Lorena,

 

The issue here is that you are then talking about allowing a non-laundered and possibly non-controlled item of protective clothing.

 

Regards,

 

Tony

 

So we are agreed a non-laundered and non-controlled item of protective clothing is unacceptable?

 

Regards,

 

Tony

[Mr. Incognito]

Un-clean clothing is unacceptable but sometimes it's a hard line to draw.

 

Not all facilities have control over uniforms and you can't be sure that they are laundered properly...  Honestly very little laundry is done in a true sanitizing manner.  Sometimes all you can do is see to it that the uniforms look clean and are not ripped / torn.  I guess you can say that's unacceptable but in reality you can't always tell.

 

For example.  A company I worked for "gave out" (for all intents and purposes of this conversation) permanent hairnet hats.  These hats, which were freaking awesome, were fabric hairnets with brims on them.  However, much like the rest of our uniform items, you received a certain amount every year and they were your responsibility to manage at home.  As such people laundered them themselves.  Typically they looked clean but if the person doesn't get dirty how often do they get washed?

[MWidra]

Un-clean clothing is unacceptable but sometimes it's a hard line to draw.

 

Not all facilities have control over uniforms and you can't be sure that they are laundered properly...  Honestly very little laundry is done in a true sanitizing manner.  Sometimes all you can do is see to it that the uniforms look clean and are not ripped / torn.  I guess you can say that's unacceptable but in reality you can't always tell.

 

For example.  A company I worked for "gave out" (for all intents and purposes of this conversation) permanent hairnet hats.  These hats, which were freaking awesome, were fabric hairnets with brims on them.  However, much like the rest of our uniform items, you received a certain amount every year and they were your responsibility to manage at home.  As such people laundered them themselves.  Typically they looked clean but if the person doesn't get dirty how often do they get washed?

I agree that it's not easy to draw the line on this.  And I think that you can't make an absolute that fits all circumstances.

 

Our products are low risk, and our process is almost totally self-contained in the equipment.  The risk of dirt or hair falling into the product is low to begin with.  We do not have uniforms for the workers, but we require that their clothing is clean and free from dirt that could fall off.  We require the wearing of hair nets to keep worker's hair from flying around and getting into the products, which are not sold as ready-to-eat.

 

Our rules can be different from those at a different facility that makes higher risk products.  I would think that the important thought is to always base your rules on solid risk assessments that take the product and the worker characteristics into account.

 

Martha

[Snookie]

First off, good to see that you survived the snow.

 

Martha

 

That's the good news---the bad---he may need a boat. 

 

Winter is young my friend.  Let's make sure I survive the entire season

 

 

It is supposed to be a bad one.....hang in there. 

[Mr. Incognito]

That's the good news---the bad---he may need a boat. 

 

Are you offering to supply one?

[Loren]

Hi Guys,

Thank you for such an amazing discussion! I don't really wear hat/cap-my brothers do and you are all right, they're not washed as often as clothes do!  ...Thank you for reminding me!

[Loren]

If you decide to let employees to wear a cap in addition to a hairnet, please make it so that the hairnet goes over the cap/beanie. The reason for this is that you will notice most employees will wear that cap outside of the work area without the hairnet. This will lead to loosen hairs being trapped inside the hat an can "release" from the cap at any given time if they return with it in the processing area.

 

If you're talking about a bump cap, it will be better since it is not made of a material that will entrap hair and is cleanable. In this case a hairnet can go under a bump cap.

Some would wear cap outside the hairnet and some would wear them inside the hairnet. I'm not sure if they have specified it before not to wear cap inside the production area and the way I made the policy, I didn't include it-although it is not approved yet...now thinking of adding it to the Hygiene requirements..

[Loren]

I tend to argue against any kind of hat unless it's a knit cap being worn in a chiller or freezer for health and safety issues unless they are company issued and are required to be kept on site.

 

One issue I've seen is where people wore in ballcaps from home and wore them over under their ballcaps but many were really dirty as heck.  When our quality manager changed the new one made a rule of no ballcaps because unless they are kept onsite you don't know what kinds of bacteria may reside on them and unlike uniforms or clothing there is a much lower chance that they are getting washed.

 

I can just imagine how smelly they are!  ...

[Snookie]

Are you offering to supply one?

 

In the desert, we just don't have much need for them.  We get so little rain that it is somewhat myth status for us.  We hear about this thing called rain, but we are not sure it truly exists.  Sorry.