By ELIZABETH BINNING
Staff at Waikato Hospital are prepared to face disciplinary action rather than accept a new policy which bans them from wearing wedding rings at work.
The policy, which applies to about 140 food and nutrition workers, bans all kinds of jewellery - even plain wedding bands under gloves -
for health and safety reasons.
Any staff member caught working in kitchens or cafes and not complying with the new rule after November 1 will be dealt with on a "case-by-case basis".
This has angered dozens of female staff who have vowed to keep their wedding bands on, no matter what.
Jenny Costello, nominated as a spokeswoman for the workers, said removing watches, necklaces, earrings - even other kinds of rings - was understandable.
But asking staff to remove their wedding bands was too much.
"We have got women leaving over the issue because they refuse to take their rings off," said Mrs Costello.
She said some of the women, who have been married for up to 40 years, could no longer remove their wedding bands and would have to have them cut off in order to comply with the new rules.
Hospital support services manager Phil Minogue said the policy was to protect staff and patients.
Under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992, employers must take practicable and reasonable measures to prevent harm occurring in the workplace.
Rings also had the potential to transfer the bacteria which lived under them to patients, who were at a higher risk of getting sick from food-borne illness.
Mrs Costello said staff were always very careful about washing hands and wearing gloves when handling food. It was unlikely a flat wedding band under a glove was going to pose much harm.
A spokesman for the Human Rights Commission said the policy did not appear to breach human rights.
