I’m curious if there is any health and safety rules that specifically apply to dress code. The point of issue right now, is that it is very hot right now, and I’m working in a kitchen next to hot ovens. I was told I cannot wear shorts/three-quarter length trousers to work. The reason being, that if I dropped a hot pan on myself, work cover insurance wouldn’t pay out if it hit my legs, since I wasn’t protected.
My problem with this, is that we are most certainly allowed to wear short sleeved shirts, and these fail to protect you in a similar way. In fact, you are far more likely to burn your arms than your legs (and I have done a lot).
So essentially I was wondering if my boss was just being worried about his own bank balance, invoking the words ‘health and safety’ to justify it.
I used to do some underwriting for WC in NSW, but I don’t recall anything about specific clothing - then, I wouldn’t, I was underwriting, not inspecting.
I checked out http://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au, but couldn’t find much that was relevant that didn’t refer me to www.worksafe.com.au, which is a subscription site - and my subscription is expired.
It’s old, it’s from OSHA, and it’s for workers who are working with hot tar and asphalt, but the sentiment holds.
P.S. I worked at KFC for a long time, and the gals up front were allowed to wear shorts. I wouldn’t have dreamed of it, personally, no matter how hot it got.
My WAG: Maybe it’s also got to do with the fact that in a kitchen, sleeves are much more likely to get in your way, get dipped into things, get burned, etc., than pant legs are.
In other words, the absence of long sleeves has some significant advantages to compensate for the lack of protection that sleeves would provide. But the absence of pant legs doesn’t. (Well, except for the advantage of keeping you a bit cooler.)
Also keep in mind that if you drop something hot, it’s going to go down…where your legs and feet are. It’s comparatively much easier to get your arms out of the way than your legs. I never would have dreamed of wearing shorts in the kitchen.
It’s also old, and and an interpretation written specifically for hot bituminous workers. Again, the sentiment still holds. I already pointed out the three things that don’t make it apply perfectly to the OP’s situation. However, that’s a pretty basic rule. I’ve never seen any other country’s form of OSHA, but I’d bet money that they’re all but identical when it comes to wearing, supplying, and training for PPE.
The only reason it’s a slight problem is that I get dehydrated rather quickly and I am not used to the Australian heat (to the point that it has on several occasions made me very ill). Wearing shorts would have helped a lot, but apparently it’s an issue. Thanks for the information though!
I’ll just have to stick to drinking ungodly amounts of water, which is admittedly difficult when you’re trying to make tons of food.
I suppose in the end it is up to my boss what the dress code should be, I’d just rather him outright say “no shorts” rather than try come up with excuses. I’ll have a look at the pdf regarding working in the heat when I’m on a PC that can handle such documents.
