Housing maintenance company Mears has banned its workers from having beards.

The restriction has been made on the grounds of health and safety, as the company wants all workers to be clean shaven in order to be safely fitted with a tight fitting face mask when working in dusty environments. Exceptions can be made if a worker can't shave for medical reasons, a dust mask can't be worn for medical reasons or a person has a beard for religious reasons.

However, Union Unite has condemned the ban, saying the move is "penny pinching stupidity".

Unite regional official for London Mark Soave said: "The arrogance of Mears is hair-raising.

"This is a highly delicate issue, which has huge cultural, religious and personal issues and where sensitivity should be the watchword. Instead members have been handed a decree from on high.

"This is clearly a case of Mears going for the cheapest option and amounts to 'penny pinching stupidity."

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However, Mears' Group Health and Safety Director, Mark Elkington, said: "We are pretty surprised that Unite, who claim to have the safety of workers at heart have taken this disappointing stance.

"Every employer in the UK has a legal responsibility to ensure that employees working in dusty or otherwise potentially hazardous environments are properly protected and in recent years employers have been prosecuted for failing to fulfil this duty.

"The simple fact is that no dust mask can work effectively unless it forms a seal against the skin. That is not possible with a beard or even heavy stubble. If the Health & Safety Executive did a spot site visit and found workers wearing dust masks that were not sealed against the face then we would be liable to prosecution."

Mr Elkington also called Unite's motives into question, saying the organisation has "chosen not to take the safety of its members seriously in order to make a cheap point".

Unite national health and safety adviser Susan Murray said: "An employer should first assess the risks presented by exposure to hazardous substances, then identify the steps needed to adequately control the risks; put them into operation and ensure they remain effective. The use of Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) may be one of the control measures, but the wearing of face masks should be a last resort and priority should always be given to eliminating the risk.

"Before any policy is introduced there should be full and proper consultation. It is crucial that the policy recognises the diversity of the workforce and the principle that workers should be consulted and given a choice of several correctly specified types of RPE so they can choose the one they like."

(LM)