Curious - Cell Phone Jammers

[Belinda Barfield]

If you are an employer, do you have a cell phone jammer at your place of business? If so, is there one you would recommend. Shop is 14,000 square feet.

If you are an employee, does your employer utilize a cell phone jammer? Just curious on this one.

Thanks for your input?

[Dan Friedrichs]

I may be wrong, but despite the ease of buying a cell phone jammer, I think they're outright illegal in the US.

[Belinda Barfield]

Well, that answered that question. Hadn't looked into that aspect of things yet. Thanks Dan.

[Matt Meiser]

Put on a metal siding and a metal roof. That's usually pretty effective in most plants I go to. The one I was in last week actually had to install a repeater in the engineering office so phones would work there. And the repeater was still only repeating Verizon, not ATT so some of the guys had to get new corporate phones.

Out on the plant floor I'd get 1, maybe 2 bars. Everyone on our project team was mooching (in a respectful manner) data from me.

Seems like reasonable policy would be a better way to go--i.e. a policy that lets them occasionally, safely use them on breaks or emergencies. Or just ban them from bringing them out on the floor--tell them to keep them in their lockers or cars.

[Belinda Barfield]

Metal siding and metal roof already in place. I guess the next step is to ban cell phones in the shop.

[Matt Meiser]

Had the same thought and edited my thread to add that. I've been in a few places where texting is banned for the same reason texting bans while driving are happening. To easy to be distracted from safety. But having the phones there can save critical time in an emergency. One place I go banned all cell phones for a long time, then recently switched to actually keeping track of visitors' numbers for emergency. That's on a little different scale than your location though.

[Tom Winship]

.......Seems like reasonable policy would be a better way to go--i.e. a policy that lets them occasionally, safely use them on breaks or emergencies. .

Matt I agree with this since I am "old school"; i.e., be reasonable in everything. However, this won't work because when you tell John he has used up his "reasonable" limit, then he tells you that Jim uses his more. Downhill from there.

[David G Baker]

Aren't jammers used in theaters to block cell phone use? They may not be available to the public but it may be worth doing the research.

[Belinda Barfield]

David, you can order them and have them delivered, but apparently you can't actually use them.

New policy effective Monday is no cell phone use during work hours other than breaks and lunch. We've asked nicely, we've stated it verbally, it is in the employee handbook. It goes out in writing with paychecks on Thursday. I'm getting tired of paying $20 an hour for texting.

[Belinda Barfield]

P.S. it annoys me when the powers that be tell me what I can and can't do in my business on private property.

[Mike Cutler]

You could always look up a "Faraday Cage", and turn your shop into one. You may also find that the internet access in your building is open to WIFI, and needs to be closed.
As an employer though, it is not unreasonable to ask that the phones be turned off by employees during work hours when you are paying them.
I'm certain that state law requires that you give them periodic breaks during the course of the work day based on amount of hours worked per day. I'm also fairly certain that state laws govern approximate windows of time when these breaks have to be given. That's more than ample opportunity to stay connected.

I don't buy the "I need it on at all times in case of an emergency" answer.

[Belinda Barfield]

You could always look up a "Faraday Cage", and turn your shop into one. You may also find that the internet access in your building is open to WIFI, and needs to be closed.
As an employer though, it is not unreasonable to ask that the phones be turned off by employees during work hours when you are paying them.
I'm certain that state law requires that you give them periodic breaks during the course of the work day based on amount of hours worked per day. I'm also fairly certain that state laws govern approximate windows of time when these breaks have to be given. That's more than ample opportunity to stay connected.

I don't buy the "I need it on at all times in case of an emergency" answer.

We're good on the WIFI. I am a really reasonable person, and I can live with the occasional phone call. It's the texting that is totally out of control. Our CNC operator texts while running the CNC when I would prefer that she be paying attention to the machine and the material. One thing I've noticed is that our "old school" guys aren't a problem. They work when they are here and leave their phone in the car. If they need to make a phone call they come in and ask if they can clock out for a few minutes to handle personal business. Interestingly, they have all at one time or another owned their own business.

[John C Lawson]

...I don't buy the "I need it on at all times in case of an emergency" answer.

You would if you had a school-aged child with a chronic medical condition like diabetes.

[Mike Henderson]

You would if you had a school-aged child with a chronic medical condition like diabetes.

And, of course, that's why cell phone jammers are illegal. My wife was on an organ transplant list and we had to have the phone on whenever we were out of the house. We attended some presentation where the guy stood up in front and as a wise comment to tell people to turn off their cell phones he asked, "How many people here are on a transplant list?" He expected that no one would raise their hand and then he would say, "Then turn your cell phone off!"

However, this time my wife and I raised our hands.

Jammers are particularly a problem because notice would likely not be given that they were in operation. You simply would not receive the phone call. And it would be cold comfort to the person who was supposed to receive the call that the people just "forgot" to put notices up about the jammer.

So let's say that I was visiting your facility, Belinda. You probably would have told all your employees about the jammer but you didn't post any signs warning others, or they weren't obvious enough that I noticed them. So my phone quits working while I'm visiting you and my wife gets the call. I need to drive her to the hospital but no one can reach me. To prevent such situations, the FCC just outlawed jammers.

Mike

[And for anyone wondering about "the rest of the story", my wife did get the call and had a lung transplant. She survived six years with the transplanted lung but passed away in 2010.]

[Matt Meiser]

That and there's no way to prevent the signal from reaching outside your facility. And the whole issue about transmitting on licensed radio frequencies. Imagine the chaos if that wasn't regulated!