In many organisations, workers often wear lanyards to carry their access, security, or ID cards. It has sometimes been suggested that this creates a WHS risk, so employers may be unsure whether this is the case.
Security ID lanyards would not generally pose a WHS risk. However, there are some working environments where an access card dangling from someone’s neck could present a hazard – such as a work setting where loose hair, clothing, or jewellery could be caught in moving parts of machinery.
There have been some horrific accidents resulting from loose hair etc being drawn into moving machinery, for example, a young woman was scalped and lost an ear when she was cleaning a moving conveyor belt and her hair was caught up in it.
If a risk arising from the wearing of lanyards has been identified, then you should discuss it with employees, apply risk management principles and put effective control measures in place.
For example, it may be that employees could carry their security/ID cards attached to their clothing with a clip rather than on lanyards around their necks.
