Reply To: Do I have to shave my beard?

I’ve been an engineer for the last 50 years and have, on occasion, had to work in oil refineries. The API (American Petroleum Institute) safety regulations require that everyone working in the refinery carry, and be able to use, a respirator or other breathing device. The standard respirator is basically a gas mask which cannot be used with a beard as it will not then seal against the face.
I therefore had to remove my beard to do work in the refinery. I kept the mustache, however. One refinery offered my the choice of shaving and carrying a standard respirator or keeping my beard and having to schlep around a 30lb Scott Airpac (basically a scuba tank and helmet) wherever I went. I chose to shave. You know what? My beard always grew back.