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Oc Spray?

2K views 16 replies 13 participants last post by  ree 
#1 ·
My wife works in a hospital and we were wondering if she could carry OC spray into the hospital She says that their policy says they cant carry something like that into their building. Do you know of any law that says that.
 
#2 ·
If you're concerned as to the legality of a specific weapon or tool, check your state laws. If not, make your own decision and just don't talk about it :wink:
 
#3 ·
OC spray is legal for carry for defensive purposes in Pennsylvania as long as the person is over age 18.

It is unlawful to use OC spray for offensive purposes. In other words if a person went into a convenience store and sprayed the clerk with OC Spray in order to rob the place that would be an added felony.

But, hospitals can set their own policies for what they will prohibit and allow on hospital property.

In other words a hospital could actually have a policy that states that they will only allow employees to drink Pepsi at work and not Mountain Dew.
If your wife agreed to abide by hospital policy when she accepted the job then she would have to leave the Mountain Dew at home.
If she decided that she loved Mountain Dew so much that Mountain Dew is all she wants to drink then she could sneak Mountain Dew into the hospital and secretly drink it but, if she got caught the hospital could reprimand her or terminate her employment. Because she violated hospital policy.

So the bottom line is that she could buy a little Fox Labs key-chain unit of OC Spray and hide it on her person - keeping in mind that it could cost her if she was caught with it.
If she was caught the hospitals "big wigs" could just say - "Hey...Don't Bring That In Here Anymore." or...they could say "You're Fired."
It would all just depend on how they wanted to handle a violation of their policy.
 
#4 ·
One thing to consider in hospitals with OC is that discharge could be pretty hard on sick people. Normal 'spray' types can get into the ventilation system and quickly be all over the place.

They do make a 'foam' version that reduces how much it spreads when used indoors.

-john
 
#5 ·
bz dog - very worthwhile addition. Thanks for posting that.

That's a good addition and may just be the very reason why hospitals do not want it inside the facility.

That sure would be an increased legal liability for his wife if her OC Spray can let loose inside the hospital. I've never seen that happen but, it could I guess.

Maybe if she is afraid of going to and from her car and wants to carry the OC to and from her car...she could make arrangments to leave it at the front desk or in a locker if she has one there.
Or if there is a security guard office at the hospital maybe she could leave it in there at the beginning of her shift and pick it up right before she leaves work for her car.
She could ask somebody in Administration if she would be allowed to do that.
All they could do is say no.
 
#6 ·
Years ago my wife did have a can of OC discharge in her purse. The button was still locked in safe so it didn't get activated by accident. All we could figure was a seal failure. I understand this is possible but very, very unlikely. If I was working around the breathing impaired it would still worry me.

Unfortunately most hospitals do seem to be criminal empowerment zones. Does she have a written policy they are using or is it just a verbal opinion from someone. If it ain't in writing it would be hard to back up as a policy.
 
#7 ·
Hmmmm. Personal choices. I've worked in hospitals for 17 years, and they can be dangerous places. Carry what you need to be sure you go home safely. Period. My attitude is rather predacious in this respect: if I hear shots, and an administrative individual (proponent of such policy) is nearby, I have a shield. If "something" happens in the parking lot, its a free-for-all, and I can play.

She's a nurse, carrying OC won't get her "black listed." A USP might:wink:, but not OC.
 
#13 ·
Hospital carry

I was at the local ER a couple shifts ago and two of the RNs were telling me they had bought the Kimber Lifeact "spray" because it doesn't look like a weapon in the pocket of scrubs. They both got it for the parking garage.


The hospital forbids anything for SD, but they do provide security guards to defend you:rofl: They have flashlights, but I don't think they're allowed to have batteries.
 
#14 ·
If all the nurses banded together and demanded escorts to their car, every night, one at a time...all night long...they might get the policy relaxed a bit.
If they were refused, there's always some reporter looking to cover a story like that.

Get her a taser and tell the hospital admins that its a new portable defibrillator unit
 
#16 ·
Get this... The security guards at the hospital I worked at were specifically told NOT TO INTERVENE in any type of altercations! They were there mearly as a "show" and to be a good witness to provide information to police.

After hearing that, I told the administrator they have the wrong title in their job description. They are what's considered a "night watchman" not security guards!

He didn't appreciate that! :rofl:
 
#17 ·
It looks like a few people assumed she's a nurse and/or actually employed by the hospital (reference to "their policy").

One more consideration is if she's actually a doctor. Doctors often aren't employed by the hospital but rather just have privileges to use the facilities. In this case, violation of the policies could result in revocation of privileges which is usually looked at very closely by state medical review boards. This sort of thing might make it hard to get a job as a doctor at any other facility ever again.

Regardless, I wouldn't worry too much about having OC on her. Tell her to keep her trap shut and find a good way to conceal it on her person.
 
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