The Health and Safety Procedures Required for Beauty Salons

Did you know it is a legal requirement, under the Health & Welfare at Work Act 2005, to have a Health & Safety Statement?

Your Health & Safety Statement needs to be reviewed annually. More frequently if there have been changes in the process of new equipment purchased. It is important to have your own safety procedures for a beauty or hair salon. And all Health and Safety training needs to be recorded, training cards need to be signed off by both trainer and trainee. Training records need to be maintained as long as the therapist is employed with the company and at least 10 years after that. Accident records causing immediate injury should be maintained for at least 10 years. Employers have a general duty to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employees, clients, visitors and others who may be affected by salon activities. Accident preventative measures are within the control of management. Before writing your salon Health and Safety Statement, if is necessary to carry out a risk assessment in all areas of your salon. Risk Assessment is a careful examination of what could cause harm or loss, so that you can weigh up whether you have taken enough precautions or should do more.

Areas to Pay Attention to

• Ventilation: windows or other openings may provide sufficient ventilation, but where necessary mechanical ventilation systems should be provided and regularly maintained.

• Temperatures should be between 13’C and 16’C.

• Lighting should be sufficient to enable therapists to work and move about safely. If necessary, local lighting should be provided at individual work stations and at places of particular risk. Light fittings should not create any hazard.

• Cleanliness and waste material, every salon and the furniture, fittings, equipment should be kept spotless, and it must be possible to also keep the surfaces of floors, walls and ceilings clean. Cleaning and removal of waste should be carried out as necessary by an effective method. Waste should be stored in suitable receptacles.

• Treatment room dimensions and space, treatment rooms should have enough free space to move about with ease. 6 ft x 9 ft is a guideline, but may be insufficient depending on the layout, contents and nature of the work.

• Workstations and seating, workstations should be suitable for the beauty therapists using them. Therapists must be able to leave work stations swiftly in an emergency. If work is done sitting, seats which are suitable must be provided. Seating should give adequate support for the lower back.

• Maintenance, the salon, machinery, certain equipment should be maintained in efficient working order: equipment which would cause a risk to health, safety or welfare if a fault occurred must be checked at very regular intervals. Electricity is the main cause of accidental fire. Most are caused by neglect and misuse of wiring and electrical appliances.

• Floors and access routes, there should be sufficient width and headroom to allow people to circulate safely with ease. The surfaces should not have holes or be uneven or slippery, and should be kept free of obstructions and from any article/substance which may cause a person to slip, trip or fall. Access between floors should not be by ladders or steep stairs. A handrail should be provided on at least one side of every staircase. Make sure exit signs are always visible and that everyone knows where the nearest exit from their work location is.

• Windows, skylights and ventilators should be capable of being opened, closed or adjusted safely and, when open should not pose any undue risk to anyone. Windows and skylights should be designed so that they may be cleaned safely.

• Sanitary conveniences and washing facilities, should be provided at readily accessible places. They and the rooms containing them should be kept clean and be adequately ventilated and lit. Washing facilities should have running hot and cold water, soap and clean towels.

• Drinking water, an adequate supply of high-quality drinking water should be provided.

• Fire safety measures should be put in place in your workplace, including pre-planning for emergencies. You must have a fire evacuation plan and it should be practised regularly in the form of fire drills. Fire protection equipment are essential aids – keep fire extinguishers and fire blankets well-placed. You may think Fire will not happen in your workplace but it can. What are the potential fire hazards in your salon? What simple day-to-day actions can you take to minimise the risk of fire breaking out?

When you have your risk assessment complete, compile your beauty salon Health and Safety Statement and contact a Health and Safety professional. He will advise you on best practice to implement safety training on a regular basis. Then health and safety in your salon is one less thing to worry about!