Health and Safety in the Salon

Health and safety are important for everyone working in the salon and it is vital that you understand the
responsibility that you have for yourself and others – especially your colleagues and clients.
Almost anything may be a hazard, but may or may not become a risk. Think about these examples:

 A trailing electric cable from a hairdryer is a hazard if it is trailing across a busy walkway through the salon.
 A failed light bulb could be a serious hazard in certain situations.
 A box of heavy material is a hazard. It represents a higher risk to someone who lifts it incorrectly, rather than
someone who uses the correct manual handling techniques.
The HEALTH AND SAFETY EXECUTIVE (HSE) is the body appointed to support and enforce health and safety law and they
have defined these terms as follows:

 Hazard - something with potential to cause harm

 Risk - the likelihood of the hazard’s potential being realized
 Control - the means by which risks identified are eliminated or reduced to acceptable levels

Hazards can be related to all aspects of work. Here are few examples around the salon:
1. Hazards to do with the working environment:
 Wet or slippery floors
 Cluttered passageways or corridors
 Hair clippings left on the salon floor
 Trailing electrical flexes
2. Hazards to do with the equipment and materials:
 Worn or faulty electrical equipment
 Incorrectly labelled materials
 Mishandling or inaccurate measurement of chemicals
3. Hazards connected with people:
 Bad posture
 Poor health, cross infection, disease
 Handling and moving stock
Working with electricity
Electricity can kill. Although deaths from electric shocks are very rare in hairdressing salon, even a non-fatal
shock can cause severe and permanent injury. An electric shock from faulty or damaged electrical equipment may lead
to a fall, for example down a stairwell.
Those using electricity may not be the only ones at risk. Poor electrical installations and faulty electrical
appliances can lead to fires, which can also result in death or injury to others. Get into the habit of looking for loose
cables and plugs on tongs, straighteners and hairdryers before plugging them in for use. If you think that a piece of
electrical equipment is faulty or damaged, tell your supervisor immediately and they will label it, making sure that no
one else tries to use it.

Thinking about your work routines

Because you work in public service, all of your day-to-day routines will have some form of impact on someone.
You must be aware of things that could harm yourself or other people. You must stay alert at all times when you are
working. HEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORK ACT (HASAWA) 1974 to have a duty of care, not only yourself, but also to
anyone else who could be affected by your actions.
Employers have a responsibility to ensure the health, safety and welfare of the people within the workplace. All
people at work have a duty and responsibility not to harm themselves or others through the work they do.

Being responsible
Simply being aware of potential hazards is not enough; you have a responsibility to make the salon a safe
working environment to everyone. For example, that someone had carelessly blocked a fire door with a stock delivery,
you could handle this yourself by moving the items of stock to a safe and secure location. You will be able to deal with
some hazards but not others; you will have to consider each one carefully before you do anything. Remember, if you are
not sure, ask a senior colleague.

A SAFE AND HEALTHY WORKING ENVIRONMENT

The HEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORK ACT (HASAWA) 1974 is the main, overarching legislation made by
parliament. This Act contains many individual regulations and the responsibility for maintaining these falls upon you and
your employer.
An employer has a legal duty to ensure that:
 The premised are safe to work within
 All equipment and salon system are safe to use
 Employees have access to personal protective equipment
 Health and safety systems are appropriately reviewed and updated
 Staff are trained so they can do their duties safely

The employees have a legal duty to:

 Follow appropriate systems of work laid down for their safety
 Make proper use of equipment provided for their safety
 Co-operate with their employer on health and safety matters
 Inform their employer if they identify hazardous activities/situations
 Take care to ensure that their activities do not put others at risk

Here are some examples of hazards that you could deal with yourself:
 Trailing lead/flexes – roll them up and store them safely
 Cluttered doorways and corridors- remove objects and store them safely or dispose of them appropriately
 Hair clippings on the floor – sweep them up

These are hazards that you should report to your manager:

 Faulty equipment such as hairdryers, tongs, straightening irons, kettles, computers and etc.
 Worn floor coverings or broken tiles
 Loose or damaged fittings, such as mirrors, shelves or back washes
 Obstructions that are too heavy for you to move safely

Disposal of Waste
General waste – most salon waste is harmless and as long as it has been sorted for recycling it can be put out for
normal commercial rubbish collection.

Disposal of sharp items

Sharps items such as disposable razors blades need to be handled with extreme care. Used sharps (the term
used to describe them) must be disposed of carefully to prevent any injury or cross- infection. Razor blades and similar
items should be placed into a sharps box- a safe, sealed container.

Lifting and handling

Bad posture and incorrect handling of large and/or heavy items can result in lower back, pain other back problems
and strain disorders. You must always take care if you need to move anything. Think about the situation that can occur
in a salon environment, for example:
 Moving stock in storage
 Unpacking heavy or awkward items
 Lifting equipment and moving salon furniture

Avoiding Dermatitis
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) conducted a survey
across the industry and found that almost 70 percent of people who
start hairdressing and barbering develop a condition called
dermatitis. This is a painful condition caused by failing to wear
disposable polyvinyl or nitrile gloves during shampoo and
conditioning. Many people who develop this condition have to stop
hairdressing, so this is a serious occupational health hazard. Always
dry your hands thoroughly after immersing them in water and apply
moisturizer to keep the skin hydrated.
Five steps to preventing Dermatitis
1. Wear disposable polyvinyl/nitrile gloves when rinsing, shampooing, coloring, lightening, etc.
2. Dry your hands thoroughly with a soft cotton or paper towel.
3. Moisture after washing your hands, as well as at the start and end of each day. Be thorough- it is easy to miss
between the fingers, your fingertips or wrists.
4. Chang gloves between clients. Make sure you do not contaminate your hands when you take them off.
 5. Check the skin regularly for early signs of dermatitis.
What do you do if you think you have dermatitis?
If you think you are suffering from dermatitis, visit your doctor for advice and treatment. If you think it has been
caused or made worse by your work, mention this to your doctor and tell your employer.

Handling Chemicals
Many hairdressing services involve some contact with chemicals. You must always follow the product
manufacturer’s instruction for their safe use and application. Chemicals include perming lotions, neutralizers, coloring
products and hydrogen peroxide. These are hazardous and present a high risk to anyone who does not know the correct
procedures for their use. They must be handled, stored, used and disposed correctly in
accordance with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (2003), also
know as the COSHH Regulations.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Your employer will provide PPE for you and your clients. Your protective equipment
will typically be disposable gloves and plastic aprons. You must wear these items whenever
you are handling chemicals. The PPE for clients is gowns, towels and plastic capes.

Slips and trips

The most common cause of injuries at work is the slip or trip. Falls can be
serious and a busy salon means lots of people, and the more clients there are the
more hair clippings there will be. Both wet and dry hair clippings are easily slipped
on, so make sure the you sweep the working areas regularly. Uneven floors, cables
spread on the floor, liquids like water or hair products, waste or other spillages
that can fall to the ground, and lack of space due to excess furniture and
appliances increase the risk of falls.

Spillages and breakages

If something gets spilled or broken you need to act quickly, but stop and think before doing anything. Ask
yourself these questions.

Preventing Infection
A warm, humid salon can offer a perfect home for disease-carrying bacteria. If they can find food in the form of
dust and dirt they may reproduce rapidly. Good ventilation, however, provides a circulating air current that will help to
prevent their growth. This is why it is important to keep salon clean, dry and well aired at all times. This includes
clothing, work areas, tools and all equipment.

 Head lice and nits

This extremely common infestation can be very difficult to stop, particularly among young school children. Head lice are
minute animal parasites that feed on the host’s blood. The infection can be observed in either the egg stage or the adult
head louse stage, depending on how long the client has been infected. Head lice are passed from person to person
through direct contact, and infestation is always accompanied by itching (caused by the parasite biting the scalp to feed
on the host’s blood).
Sterilization is the most effective way of providing hygienically safe tools
to work with in salons. Sterilization means the complete eradication of living
organisms.

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation cabinets are a typical method for sterilizing

tools and equipment in the salon or barber shop.

Chemical sterilizers should be handled only with suitable PPE, as many of

the solutions used are hazardous to health and should not come into contact with
the skin.

Autoclave provides a very efficient way of sterilizing using heat. It is particularly good for
metal tools, although the high temperatures are not suitable for plastics such as brushes and
combs. Items placed in the autoclave take around 20 minutes to sterilize

Barbicide – a common chemical disinfectant in the salon.

RISKS TO HEALTH AND SAFETY
Emergencies: FIRE
All places of work must have adequate firefighting equipment and means of escape. All fire exits have to be
clearly marked with the appropriate signs and it must be possible to open all doors easily and immediately from the
inside. A fire can happen anywhere, but beauty salons are more susceptible to accidents of this nature due to all the
materials, electrical appliances, and volatile chemical substances used.
Overloading the electric plugs with many curling irons, razors and dryers can represent a significant fire hazard.
Candles can make a beauty salon and spa smell and look attractive, but they also carry a high risk of fire.
Fire can occur in many situations:
 Electrical faults
 Badly maintained equipment within the salon or staff only areas
 Gas appliances left unattended
 Badly positioned portable heaters

Firefighting equipment must be available and located in specific areas. The equipment should only be used by
properly trained people and only when it is safe to do so.
Different types of fire extinguisher are used to fight different types of fire and they are color coded according to type.

Accidents can be caused by any of the following:

 Carelessness
 Inappropriate behaviors
 Tiredness
 Misuse of substances (drinks or drugs)
 Faulty equipment
 Poorly stored chemicals
 Untidy and dirty work area
 Poor salon layout

The salon must have a first aid box that is correctly stocked with all the
necessary items needed to deal with minor accidents.
Dressing and behaving professionally
 Personal appearance
The effort we put into getting ready for work
reflects our pride in our work and that we care about
what we do. Sometimes we have to wear things that we
would not wear if we had a personal choice, but
professional standards and salon image must come first.

 Clothes
Workwear should be practical and easy to
maintain. Clothes should be easy to clean and iron if
necessary and made of suitable fabrics. They should not
be tight and restrictive, which would make working
harder and more tiring; they may also make you perspire
and increase body odor.

 Shoes
Hairdressers and barbers should wear flat or low-heeled shoes that enclose the feet (cover the toes). We spent most
of our time on our feet so comfortable shoes will help prevent backache.

 Hair
As hair professionals, our hair is an advertisement for our skill in the salon. If your hair is a mess, think about how
that will affect your client’s confidence in you. Your hair should always look good and well styled to reflect the salon
image.

 Make-up
If you wear make-up to work, make sure that you check with your salon supervisor to see what is acceptable and
appropriate.

 Nails
You should have similar length, short, neatly manicured nails. Polish can be worn but must not be chipped or badly
applied.

 Jewelry
Wear only a minimum of jewelry while you are working. It can be harbor germs and it can be uncomfortable for the
client because it can get tangled in their hair.