The beards had to go
The Connecticut Occupational Safety and Health Administration has forced about 20 East Hartford firefighters into close encounters with their razors.
In a comprehensive inspection during the spring, ConnOSHA—which has adopted federal OSHA safety standards—said the firefighters’ beards interfered with safety seals on the facepieces of self-contained breathing apparatus. Assistant Chief David Dagon says the union local objected that the matter involved a grooming standard that required negotiation, but an arbitrator from the state Labor Department—of which ConnOSHA is a separate division—ruled in OSHA’s favor.
Ironically, Dagon says, Chief Tom Dawson tried to enforce a ban on beards five or six years ago, and at that time the Labor Department ruled the matter was indeed a grooming standard. “What has changed?” Dagon asks. “Basically I think it’s a perception in the Labor Department that OSHA will determine the standards.”
