Allclear, it's neither you nor your company's record. It's the indoctrination that passes for 'education' in the safety wonk courses.
I've seen the trend for over a decade now. Various firms have adopted the attitude that knives are just not acceptable, ever, period. Not even little bitty ones that they would even allow on airplanes.
In their place they usually issue spring-loaded utility knives with rounded blades.
Why? We're told there are way too many folks being injured by knives that were inadvertantly being left open, and the rounded tip of the blade is somehow seen as 'safer.'
Along with this is the attitude taught that everyone of the customers' employees has, as a sacred duty, a responsibility to watch those pesky, ignorant contractors and micro-manage their tasks.
My real opinion is unsuitable for this forum. Suffice it to say that the logic fails and the attitude is at best pure condenscension. It's not about safety at all.
The natural result of this happened last month. A man erred, and got himself (his entire body) wrapped several times around a shaft .... merrily going 'flop, flop, flop' until the machine was shut down. Unwrapping him was delayed significantly, as no one had a knife handy with which to cut the tangled clothing. He will live.
A knife is a tool, no better or worse than the person holding it. It was probably the first tool made by man. You never know when it might come in handy- whether to peel an orange or to open a parcel. There would not be an enormous industry making knives if they were not considered relevant by everyone.
I've railed against these attitudes before ... but folks don't seem to get the message. All of our freedoms are at risk when one group is taught that they have the natural right to rule the rest of us, without restraint, as we are at best oversize children or retarded apes with tool belts.
