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Friday, 13 December 2013

The Bald Persons and Hairnets Debate:

A debate on the question of bald persons needing to wear hairnets is going on among some members of the industry. It is quite intriguing to see the debate prolonged to the extent that it has. While many good comments have been made, others leave me wondering. 
Has "the rule" become more important than "the reason behind the rule"? Is anyone concerned about the level of understanding (or lack thereof) in the industry that makes it necessary for such considerations as "one rule for everyone"? If this is the level of understanding that the industry has to work with, and considering that we have more issues than the wearing of hairnets by bald people, what is the real danger faced by the industry?

Posted By Felix Amiri
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Felix Amiri is the current Food Sector Chair of GCSE-Food & Health Protection

4 comments:

  1. One rule for everyone-exactly what should be followed. A bald person can stop wearing hairnet inside the production unit and he knows the reason, QA persons know it, even some production operators do know it. But not everyone inside the production unit can understand the reason behind why a bald man is not wearing hairnet. They would interpret it wrongly which may lead to confusions in the hygienic clothing procedure which is understood by the workers.

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    1. Hi Pragash,
      True! Some employees may ask why a bald person is not wearing hairnet which is the wrong question since it is rooted in a lack of conviction about why the wearing of hairnets is necessary. It is not to show favoritism or fairness. The right question is why is it necessary for anyone to wear a hairnet? This leads to the discovery of the true reason: The presence of hair in food poses a real problem for consumers. Employees who truly understand this will not concern themselves with the fairness of the rule applying equally for everyone. They will instead concentrate on the desired result of compliance. Even the bald person will understand this true reason and do the right thing every time.

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  2. I have always taken a light-hearted approach when asked this question, replying that yes, the bald person must wear a hairnet because there is clear evidence that they lose their hair! I've never been argued with.

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  3. The one-rule-fits-all attitude when the issue isn't affected (hair in food) is simply the lazy and easy approach by employers and industry folk... if you're completely bald then no hair is getting in your food. Guess what? There's no covering for your eyelashes and eyebrows hair which fall out all the time. If people bellyache that they don't want to wear hairnets then shave your head bald!

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