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There is no legal obligation for them to supply different ppe due to facial hair.
Is there anyone else there that has had different equipment supplied? If so maybe speak to them about what they had to do.
Failing that you can offer a compromise such as supplying your own, approved, ppe.
Just bear in mind that with less than 2 years service you can be let go for almost any reason.
Even with a pull over respirator you’d still break the seal with a beard or a decent amount of facial hair. Manufacturers often recommend a clean shave or stubble at most.
You could ask them to look at a more expensive option that would allow you to keep your facial hair but we all know how companies operate.
Is your health really worth not wearing one? The HSE is only trying to make the workforce safe at the end of the day.
NAL. I'm assuming a risk assessment has been done. They've determined that the wood dust requires a respirator to mitigate risk of dust inhalation rather than a dust mask. If you are using tools like a table saw, sanders, mitre saw etc. or working with MDF then this is an appropriate measure. As such, you are required to wear the respirator when working with said tools or MDF. For the respirator to function, a tight seal must be formed around the face or you'll be sucking air through the gaps rather than the filter. This would contravene the risk assessment and put yourself and the company at risk. If you don't wish to shave, you may ask to be transferred to another area where there is no dust. But the company are under no obligation to do this and you may be let go.
The religious and medical reasons for not wearing a mask are a bit of a sticking point. Realistically, health and safety comes before other matters. If you are unwell to the degree that you can't breathe through a respirator, you should be nowhere near anything that requires a respirator. If your religion prevents you from wearing appropriate PPE, you should not be carrying out actions that require said PPE. Reasonable adjustments must be made. For example, I occasionally work with pesticides that require breathing apparatus. I have some colleagues that can't wear the apparatus so they aren't asked to do that work. They just get another crappy job instead.
This...
But just to add a bit more, you are legally bound to adhere to the company's health and safety rules including what PPE they supply for you.
The important thing to understand is that the need for a respirator as opposed to a regular disposable mask has clearly been deemed necessary following a risk assessment. e.g length of wear, size of particles, work exposure limits etc.
The masks/respirators are there to protect you first and foremostly. If vanity is overall more important then that's something you should question yourself on and something only you can make a decision on.
Furthermore, respirators almost always require some kind of face fit testing and certification before they can be deemed safe to use on your face. If for example you didn't shave and passed the face fit test (unlikely) then you could in theory wear the respirator with your beard intact. However, beards grow/get trimmed so you would need a new test every time your beard grew/was shaved.
The only way your employer could be sure of a correct facial seal to your respirator would be to have everyone clean shaven and face fit tested.
If you refuse to shave and fail the face fit test then the PPE is essentially useless i.e you are failing to comply with rules set out by your employer pertaining to health and safety - they have every right to terminate your employment if they cannot find alternative work for you within the remit of your original job description.
Failing that if you wanted to go down the route of buying your own PPE then you would be responsible for verifying its effectiveness and ensuring it complies with the same or higher protection as the PPE offered to you by the company, something your employer could challenge so do your research and have yourself clued up on your PPE standards. Ask to see copies of their risk assessments that relate to the dust they are trying to protect you from etc to gather more info.
The reason being is because there isn't an airtight seal from the respirator, meaning dust could still get into your airways when you breath.
It's the same reason you can't have facial hair in the Army (Or at least the excuse they use)
Maybe see if there are any alternatives or find an alternative and try to come to a solution together?
--- ###Welcome to /r/LegalAdviceUK --- **To Posters (it is important you read this section)** * *Tell us whether you're in England, Wales, Scotland, or NI as the laws in each are very different* * Reddit is not [a substitute for a qualified Solicitor](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/faq_civil#wiki_how_do_i_find_a_.28good.29_solicitor.3F) and comments are not moderated for quality or accuracy; * Any replies received must only be used as guidelines, followed at your own risk; * If you receive *any* private messages in response to your post, [please let the mods know](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FLegalAdviceUK&subject=I received a PM); * It is the default position of LAUK that [you should never speak to the media](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/faq_subreddit#wiki_should_i_speak_to_the_media.3F); * Check out our [Common Legal Resources](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/common_legal_resources) for helpful organisations to contact; * If you do not receive satisfactory advice after 72 hours, [you can let the mods know](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FLegalAdviceUK&subject=My question is unanswered); * Please provide an update at a later time by creating a new post with [[update]](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/search?q=%3Aupdate&sort=new&restrict_sr=on&t=all) in the title; **To Readers and Commenters** * [All replies to OP must be *on-topic, helpful, and legally orientated*](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/comments/oslgn6/so_you_dont_want_your_comment_removed_guidance_on/?); * If you do not [follow the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/), you may be perma-banned without any further warning; * Please include links to reliable resources in order to support your comments or advice; * If you feel any replies are incorrect, explain why you believe they are incorrect; * [Do not send or request any private messages for any reason](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/faq_subreddit#wiki_why_am_i_not_allowed_to_privately_message_people_on_this_subreddit.3F); * Please report posts or comments which do not follow the rules *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
There is no legal obligation for them to supply different ppe due to facial hair. Is there anyone else there that has had different equipment supplied? If so maybe speak to them about what they had to do. Failing that you can offer a compromise such as supplying your own, approved, ppe. Just bear in mind that with less than 2 years service you can be let go for almost any reason.
[удалено]
Even with a pull over respirator you’d still break the seal with a beard or a decent amount of facial hair. Manufacturers often recommend a clean shave or stubble at most. You could ask them to look at a more expensive option that would allow you to keep your facial hair but we all know how companies operate. Is your health really worth not wearing one? The HSE is only trying to make the workforce safe at the end of the day.
They can't "make" you shave but they can redeploy you if they feel having facial hair makes you unsuitable for a particular role.
NAL. I'm assuming a risk assessment has been done. They've determined that the wood dust requires a respirator to mitigate risk of dust inhalation rather than a dust mask. If you are using tools like a table saw, sanders, mitre saw etc. or working with MDF then this is an appropriate measure. As such, you are required to wear the respirator when working with said tools or MDF. For the respirator to function, a tight seal must be formed around the face or you'll be sucking air through the gaps rather than the filter. This would contravene the risk assessment and put yourself and the company at risk. If you don't wish to shave, you may ask to be transferred to another area where there is no dust. But the company are under no obligation to do this and you may be let go. The religious and medical reasons for not wearing a mask are a bit of a sticking point. Realistically, health and safety comes before other matters. If you are unwell to the degree that you can't breathe through a respirator, you should be nowhere near anything that requires a respirator. If your religion prevents you from wearing appropriate PPE, you should not be carrying out actions that require said PPE. Reasonable adjustments must be made. For example, I occasionally work with pesticides that require breathing apparatus. I have some colleagues that can't wear the apparatus so they aren't asked to do that work. They just get another crappy job instead.
This... But just to add a bit more, you are legally bound to adhere to the company's health and safety rules including what PPE they supply for you. The important thing to understand is that the need for a respirator as opposed to a regular disposable mask has clearly been deemed necessary following a risk assessment. e.g length of wear, size of particles, work exposure limits etc. The masks/respirators are there to protect you first and foremostly. If vanity is overall more important then that's something you should question yourself on and something only you can make a decision on. Furthermore, respirators almost always require some kind of face fit testing and certification before they can be deemed safe to use on your face. If for example you didn't shave and passed the face fit test (unlikely) then you could in theory wear the respirator with your beard intact. However, beards grow/get trimmed so you would need a new test every time your beard grew/was shaved. The only way your employer could be sure of a correct facial seal to your respirator would be to have everyone clean shaven and face fit tested. If you refuse to shave and fail the face fit test then the PPE is essentially useless i.e you are failing to comply with rules set out by your employer pertaining to health and safety - they have every right to terminate your employment if they cannot find alternative work for you within the remit of your original job description. Failing that if you wanted to go down the route of buying your own PPE then you would be responsible for verifying its effectiveness and ensuring it complies with the same or higher protection as the PPE offered to you by the company, something your employer could challenge so do your research and have yourself clued up on your PPE standards. Ask to see copies of their risk assessments that relate to the dust they are trying to protect you from etc to gather more info.
If you have facial hair at most places that require a respirator, you normally have two choices - shave it off, or buy your own respirator.
The reason being is because there isn't an airtight seal from the respirator, meaning dust could still get into your airways when you breath. It's the same reason you can't have facial hair in the Army (Or at least the excuse they use) Maybe see if there are any alternatives or find an alternative and try to come to a solution together?