G-P millworkers now cleanshaven for safety

BAILEYVILLE — In “Much Ado About Nothing,” William Shakespeare wrote “He that hath a beard is more than a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a man,” but the once-bearded workers at Georgia-Pacific’s Pulp and Paper Mill maintain they are not wimps just because they are cleanshaven.

According to a notice posted at the mill about six weeks ago, Thursday is the deadline for workers at the G-P facility to arrive cleanshaven for their shifts. The new requirement has been instituted as a safety measure so workers at the mill who might be required to wear portable respirators would not have beards or mustaches that could inhibit a close fit.

Gordon Manuel, G-P public relations director, said Tuesday that the requirement is only for the pulp and paper mill and will not affect workers in other areas. He said that although some workers at the mill have complained about having to remove facial hair, in general the employees have not resisted the new rule.

“I understand that when two union presidents read the policy they immediately shaved off their beards. … Some workers were disenchanted with the new rule, but by and large there seems to be good cooperation,” he said.

Manuel said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has mandated that employees who wear respirators have to have a good fit and seal.

Several months ago, he said, G-P’s Safety Department did a study at the Woodland mill and determined that beards and full mustaches might interfere with the OSHA requirement.

“It is very difficult to get that seal with a beard. So people going into the mill will have to be cleanshaven,” he said.

Manuel said even salesmen and consultants who only occasionally visit the mill also will have to be cleanshaven.

“The mill will supply a razor and shaving cream. If a vendor with a beard shows up and has to go into the mill, he will be told of the policy and will be asked to shave off the beard,” he said.

Manuel said that many situations could occur in the mill that would require the use of respirators.

“You could have gas or dust, or other occasions when a supervisor decided that it was important to the employee’s health to use a respirator. … Some people will claim the rule interferes with personal choice, but in this case the mills are coming down on the side of safety,” he said.