Beard Vs Profession

[singh1006]

I have a question which I have asked to many people and nobody seems to have answer to my problem.

I work as a Mechanical engineer for oil &gas company in TX, USA.

For my work assignments sometimes I am required to go to oil fields.

Some of these oil fields have a risk of H2S release and have a requirement that every person entering the facility needs to be clean shaved.

Till now I have dealt with the situation by requesting my employer to not send me there but lately the situation is becoming real bad as such locations are coming up more often for work.

I have thought about changing jobs but since the problem is not employer specific, changing jobs won't help.

Is there anybody who works in this field or knows what can be done in such a situation so that I can continue in my job as a complete Sikh

I have heard that people working in food industry are put through the same requirements. So there has to be some Sikh in one of these professions.

If anybody can help me with this situation please let me know.

[VanHelsingh]

In regards to the food profession, I've seen Sikhs wearing beard nets. This could be a solution. Is wearing a beard net permissable in Sikhi?

[OhTwadi]

Unfortunately, there is no easy solution here. If my memory serves me correctly, those masks need to be effectively sealed and having facial hair prevents it from sealing. I'm not really sure what you can do here.

[Guest ...]

Someone I know came across this problem recently in a hospital where the need for a sealed mask arose. A special mask was designed in order to cover the dhaara area. This would probable depend on how flexible your employer is.

[fortunate]

do ardas to guru sahib....sincerely

[PAL 07]

whatever you decide, never forsake Guru Gobind Singh Ji's beard.

[Guest never cut your kesh]

never sacrifice sikhi for your employment. It would be better to work in a low paid job as a cleaner than shave your kesh.

We were not born to make money, certainly not to sacrifice our sikhi

I would suggest contacting the gas mask manufacturer, and asking them to help you design something for the beard, maybe a seal lower down near the top of the neck. You should offer to pay for the cost of making this , once you a solution is found then post it here and maybe the sangat will help you raise money to fund it, i doubt your employer will pay for a specially designed mask.

you should try to contact sikh surgeons or professionals who may already have something similar

[buddasingh]

go to http://rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2009-04-15&ID=267677

Have a look at post #20 which mentions -- Maj. Harjit Singh Sajjan and the story below. Maybe someone else here can help you with his contact info given that Sikhs are prominent where he's from.

#20 No problem in Canada...

Sikh soldier returns

By CARY CASTAGNA -- Edmonton Sun

Taliban fighters aren't the only ones clad in turbans in Afghanistan.

Maj. Harjit Sajjan, who finished a nine-month tour of duty in September and received his Canadian Forces service medal at Rexall Place yesterday, says he never doffed his turban in the Middle East.

"I can wear a helmet. I can wear a gas mask. There's nothing that my turban or my beard can prevent me from doing in the military at all," said the 36-year-old Sikh from Vancouver.

"To put a helmet on, you have to have an inner liner. My turban acts like an inner liner, so I just wear the kevlar shell over top."

Interestingly, these Sikh Soldiers have been wearing gas masks for a while

Sikh soldiers using gasmasks while defending Ieper, Belgium in April, 1915.

[Guest Kenneth]

Hello,

Bardas gas masks can be used by people with beards. They were originally designed for elderly people or weak/sick persons who could not have the seal on their face. The seal is further down. Israel uses them for beard wearing Orthodox Jews. I am Canadian and very proud to see Sikh's in our country's military and police. Being part of the Commonwealth means having Sikh's on our side for more than 100 years.

Kenneth

[Guest SarabjeetSingh]

Hello,

Bardas gas masks can be used by people with beards. They were originally designed for elderly people or weak/sick persons who could not have the seal on their face. The seal is further down. Israel uses them for beard wearing Orthodox Jews. I am Canadian and very proud to see Sikh's in our country's military and police. Being part of the Commonwealth means having Sikh's on our side for more than 100 years.

Kenneth

Thanks for contributing , Kenneth .