Dress Code Policy - Jewellery Policy

Good Day Food Safety Team

Trust you are all well and keeping safe.

There is a debate carrying on at my workplace regards to wearing of watches by Admin Staff / visitors entering the production areas.

Our current policy dictates the use of wedding band with no stones is allowed and no other jewellery. 

Admin staff eg . Planners, CEO, Directors that enter production areas passing through to get to the Lab which is situated inside of the factory and  walking through the production lines are wanting a concession to wear watches as they are not involved directly with production. 

By the way traditional bands are also allowed however a wrist cover must be over it.

What are your taught on this, what is your company policy on jewellery, what is allowed and what is not allowed.

Hoping to get some of your responses.  

Take care and be safe 

I’d find this problematic for a number of reasons:

Watches and jewellery are banned from the factory because they present a foreign-body risk. That risk is present even if the individual(s) wearing them aren’t directly food-handling. If a glass-faced watch were broken in the factory, the risk outcome would be the same regardless of the owner were an operator or the company owner.

If only some people are required to follow the personal hygiene rules, everyone is less likely to follow those rules as a result. Hypocrisy over the way rules are applied is inherently demotivational and breeds contempt.

Senior management should lead by example for your food safety and quality culture. Special exemptions can result in an ‘us and them’ culture, which you don’t want to encourage.

It’s much harder to enforce standards when they only apply to some people. If you see someone on the factory floor wearing a watch, you’ll need to respond differently depending on the position they hold.

Hope this helps.

No matter the standards you are being audited against, they are going to want your Senior Management to follow the same rules are your production employees. 

To do otherwise makes it seem punitive and not really about protecting the food.

There are no watches or fitbits or the like allowed in any factory or production areas, there are no exceptions. Once an exception to a standard is allowed it open the door for multiple conversations that go against the standard. keep your factory and production areas safe. There is the posibility  as people walk by machinery the piece of jewelry, watch etc can become caught and cause a significant injury.

In my opinion Admin staff / visitors are your biggest threat to your food safety from a personnel standpoint. They are not always on the production floor and honestly they more than likely feel the rules don't apply- proof that they are asking for an exception.  Example, our COO is mainly in the office, sometimes she comes down and enters production I am always happy to send her back upstairs until she removes her earrings and a puts on a hairnet. Don't be afraid to keep your foot down on your rules and more importantly don't be afraid to correct higher ups if they are not following them either. Production workers will tend to follow your lead if they see you making the same rules for all. 

No watches. No wrist bands. Have the office staff traveling through the area slip them into their pocket or leave them on their desks. No give on this rule ever!

Of course you should not permit these items into the production area no matter who it is.  Just think what would happen if you conducted and audit and you were written a non-conformance for a director or CEO being on the floor with their watch on. The same rules apply to one and all.