11 replies to this topic

[sangle]

Hello,

I have a situation I don't know the proper way to handle.  I have an employee who is required to wear a medical ID necklace.  GMP says no jewelry, is a medical ID necklace or bracelet considered jewelry?  Has anyone else come across this and how was it handled?

Thanks

Shanna 

[SQFconsultant]

Necklace is acceptable.

 

And under SQF it is acceptable as well.

 

In general a medical necklace or bracelet is not considered jewelry.

 

The issue with the bracelet however is that it can become foreign contamination, cause a safety issue, etc.

 

We allow medical necklaces, but dis-allow the medical bracelets - we also require the employee to inform us if they are wearing a medical id necklace and they are required to be worn inside of garments.

[lentilheather]

We are SQF and allow medical bracelets but not necklaces. A necklace could be very dangerous around our equipment. I wear a medical bracelet and it is one solid piece. 

[sangle]

Thank you very much for the information.  

Have a super day!!

[zanorias]

BRC allows "medical alert jewellery" as an exception 

[wtheriot]

Medical bracelets and necklaces are allowed. They are not part of jewelry category. It is likely metal detectable as well. 

[kfromNE]

One thing to note about them.  Some of the medical bracelets/necklaces can get 'fancy'. So along with wedding bands, our policy states they need to be plain with no stones.

[sangle]

That's a good point, thanks kfromNE.

[kgf_sqf]

We added it to our personnel policy as an exception:

 

• No watches or jewelry may be worn, the only exceptions are:
  • plain band ring with no stones
  • prescribed medical alert bracelets (solid)

[MsMars]

Depending on your process and associated risk, if needed suggest requesting the employee wear a bracelet instead and wear it around the ankle while working. 

[Hoosiersmoker]

We ran into a similar situation with medically required jewelry. We have a person that suffered from debilitating migraines. She was about to point out and lose her job as a result. A new doctor she found told her she should try a Daith (pronounced doth) piercing, there had been many recent studies indicating it had showed great results in reducing migraines. There was much discussion about allowing the piercing but when asked, she was able to provide a doctor's order for it. We relented, nervous about the allowance but, having a doctor's order we allowed it. First of all her migraines went from daily (sometimes multiple) to one or two a week and much less severe, her attendance is good now and her demeanor and attitude are much better. Among the stipulations were that it be as permanent as possible so the device she got is considered a non-removable post and we ask that she wear her hair net to the bottom of her ears. The risk assessment reveals a low enough risk to allow it for those reasons. I think the most amazing thing is that there wasn't a rush of employees asking to wear their piercings, in fact no one asked for that. We consider it a medically required treatment with documentation that has really helped us and her as she is a much more effective employee now.

[sangle]

That is amazing and thank goodness she has become a valued employee as a result.  Kudos to you and your team for taking the time to perform a risk assessment instead of just dismissing her.