NPR: U.K. Firm Tells U.S. Workers to Remove Helmet Decals

U.K. Firm Tells U.S. Workers to Remove Helmet Decals

I remember seeing plenty of workers for KeySpan, a big natural gas firm in the Northeast, sporting hard hats that were so covered with stickers and decals, you couldn't see the white underneath.

Not anymore. The Boston Globe reports that a month after the British energy giant National Grid PLC took over KeySpan, managers told employees that the decals and stickers — often depicting the American flag or carrying slogans like "Proud to be an American" — had to go, or they would be suspended.

Some workers have resisted the new rule. A spokesman for the company says it's a safety issue as well as one of appearance because the decals could cover cracks and wear in the hard hats.

Now, I'm not quite sure if these British owners realize what they have done. I lived in Boston for a long time, and I can tell you that Bostonians still don't take well to British rule. It wouldn't surprise me at all if some of those safety helmets wind up in Boston Harbor.

How do you feel about the hard-hat stickers? Should workers be able to express themselves on the job?

1:24 PM ET | 09-27-2007 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

Those Thatcherite pinheads. How could they have let this go up channels and then let it be approved?

Don't they know, especially in Boston (and Brooklyn and Queens),that their workforce has a huge, Union to the bone, Pro Patria base? (I'm first generation off the plane and grew up with a lot of guys who now work for this company) Nothing like a few pinheads from devolved, anti-union London to throw this into the mix. Let's have more choice in our electric providers, we'll see how NationalGrid does with that. I wish I still lived in my old house, which was supplied by NationalGrid. I could turn off some lights just out of spite.

This whole thing has got that old song from Cheers, "Limey Scum" running through my head.

Sent by John Costello | 2:21 PM ET | 09-27-2007

I am a Professional Engineer who regularly wears a hard hat. I use a plastic hard hat that is also rated for voltage as I am often involed with electrical equipment.
Plastic Hard hats should not be painted or have decals applied, as 1.) the solvents in the paint or adhesive can reduce the strength of the plastic. 2.)they can cover cracks and other damage.

These remarks are only valid for mon metalic hard hats, which should not have any user applied decals or paint unless those products have been approved by the hard hat manufacturer.

The application of non-approved decals could be also used by an insurance company to deny or reduce an injury claim.

Sent by Victor J. Croasdale | 3:31 PM ET | 09-27-2007

If it really is a safety issue, then the workers just need to let it go and get over it. They can put as many stickers as they like on their personal vehicles and sew a flag patch on every one of their shirts; National Grid PLC has no right to mess with their workers private lives. While they are on the clock, however, they should remember that one who takes the King's coin is the King's man.

Sent by Roger Perrone | 4:23 PM ET | 09-27-2007

Official National Grid response e-mail sent out to some employees today:

Dear Fellow Employees:

I know that many of you have seen media coverage about National Grid's policy on putting decals on hard hats - specifically, whether employees could put the American flag on their hard hat. I'd like you to know the facts.

First and foremost, there has been no change to company policy allowing stickers on hard hats. Employees are allowed to affix company-approved stickers on their hard hats as long as the number of stickers does not impair the ability to inspect the hard hat for cracks that could pose a safety risk. No one has ever questioned the acceptability of placing an American flag sticker on a hard hat.

All hardhats issued with the National Grid logo come with the American flag already on it - in fact, manufactured with the flag embedded into the hard hat. KeySpan's previous policy was to let employees decide if they wanted to have the flag or any other approved emblem on their hardhat. In last week's safety briefing, supervisors were asked to remind employees of the hard hat policy and reinforce the need to check hard hats for cracks. Unfortunately, in one location in New England, the message was miscommunicated, causing employees to believe they needed to remove all stickers
- including the flag - from their hard hats, or be subject to disciplinary action.

I am personally very dismayed at the distress this caused some of our employees. The idea that we would ever take action against an employee for displaying the American flag is absolutely unacceptable and false. Our policies are put in place to ensure the safety of our employees, not to prevent them displaying pride in their country, whether they work in the United States or the United Kingdom.

We have many challenges ahead of us as we merge our operations and procedures, and I am sure that we will encounter another bump or two along that road. As we work to become one company, I hope that all our employees understand that we honor and respect the traditions and national symbols of both our proud countries.

Sincerely,

--
Please print this message for those employees who do not have e-mail and make available in your area.

Sent by Kevin McGrath | 4:02 PM ET | 09-28-2007

i work for keyspan on long island , and ill tell you what, not only will i put stickers on my hard hat but the first one i do will to cover up the national grid logo. hard hats are a waste of time and money. if i get hit by a car doing 40 mph on the side of the road, guess what my hard hat aint doing anything.

Sent by john gill | 6:47 PM ET | 10-27-2007

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