All of our employees had to do face fit test, some of them had beards. The procedure was quite straightforward - everyone was invited to the test, those who failed because of the facial hair were asked to shave in order to ensure their own safety at work. Section 7 of HSWA requires employees to cooperate with the employer. If someone wouldn't shave (all of them did) they would simply not be delegated to carry out tasks due to h&s concerns. They would sit in the workshop doing nothing and wasting company's money, because providing a positive RPE only because someone won't shave wouldn't be cost effective. If someone is a welder, they can't really be used for other tasks than the one they are supposed to carry out as a welder.

PPE is the last resort - where employed it must be suitable for the hazard AND the individual (after all it is PERSONAL Protective Equipment)

Policies which demand someone be clean shaven so that cheap RPE can be used have the possibility to prove very costly at an employment tribunal especially where employment is refused or terminated due to a clash with the religious beliefs or psychological needs of an individual (some people use beards to cover facial disfigurements especially those resulting form a traumtic event)

Co-operation is a two way activity to achieve a mutual goal - citing Section 7 HASAW for a selfish exclusive purpose (cheap equipment) is not in my opinion the intention or spirit of the law

As for welding - powered units provide longer term user comfort when LEV is either not practicable or of limited effectiveness thanks to the flow of filtered air across the operatives face

I would suggest you take some time to show them why it is important that they have a mask that fits. It amazes me that no one questions that they need to wear a mask but when you ask them to shave thier face so it fits they gets annoyed (especially the women).

It is not for you, it is for them. It is law and it will stop them from getting some of the worst illnesses imaginable.

Also, it the law. If they don't have a correctly fitting mask then they cannot do that job, regardless as to whether you happened to mention this at recruitment stage.

If there are religious issues, etc. these do not supersede protection of someones health but alternative air fed masks (though costly) can be bought

We are going down the route of if you have a 'long term' beard we will look at other options for them such as difference task, equipment but this is easier said than done at times.

Roundtuit makes a good point co-operation is a two way activity and makes these types of things much easier. We have found that the time taken to consulting and getting them to buy into this (especially those who may have to shave) is well worth it in the long run.

One issue we have come across is we have employees who require both mask and hearing protection and we haven't been able to find a solution for a powered hood which accommodates hearing protection for a particular member of staff. Ear plugs are not the best for this activity because of instances with ear infections. Any advice gratefully received!

Lishka0 - the scenario you are describing requires a combination system based on a hard hat to which ear protection muffs and the RPE visor can be clipped

For example (no affiliation): 1C8200 Sundstrom SR 580 Headtop & Hose

Just wanted to say thanks to all for contributing here - everyone's experience was very helpful.

I now have a draft policy and am going to have a chat with one of our safety reps tomorrow (who's a beardy joiner) to see what him and his mates think.

Further to the above, the user doesn't have to be completely clean shaven, only the part(s) of the face where the mask makes it's seal. This means that moustaches, goatees etc are still ok. I was once told that this is the reason you see so many firemen with moustaches. Whether that's true or not i don't know!

Also, ref the comments made about "cheap" RPE, for our workforce of approximately 60 guys we spend approximately £1000 per year on our half masks alone, due to the need to replace them every 12 months (i'm not counting the cost of filters in there obviously, on which we spend much more).

We use the Sundstrom SR100 which is a VERY good mask. However, even a cheap air fed hood costs 10x the cost of an SR100 (£15 vs £150+) and £10,000+ a year on RPE, plus maybe half again on filters for a company our size is ridiculous. We simply couldn't do it.

In reality the likelihood of a disgruntled employee taking us to court because they can't have a beard, and then winning, is extremely slim. And if they do, and we end up paying them a few grand, we're still far from being out of pocket.

Asbestos removal at various locations is one of those unique tasks where PPE/RPE would be a primary control measure and likely expected by both current and prospective employees.

The OP didn't directly mention what was being controlled or where - the subsequent post indicates joinery dusts.

Apologies A Kurdziel I should have explained! our guys often work in wet conditions with external render, dust, noise all going on etc and we were finding that there was a concern with inserting/removing ear plugs with wet dirty hands. As you can imagine, it did cause some other discussions around hygiene and safe use!