Health & Safety for Hairdresers

Health and Safety Policy and Risk Assessments for Hairdressers

Health and Safety legislation requires employers of more than 5 employees to provide a written Health and Safety Policy. 

Some hairdressers 'let out' chairs. In these cases, the hairdresser who rents the chair is not an employee - they are simply working at the owner's premises.  Whilst these persons may not be employees, the Health and Safety at Work Act still imposes a duty on the owner to ensure they are safe whilst on the premises.

Self employed people have a legal duty not to put other people at risk by the way they work.

All employers must complete risk assessment to identify hazards within the workplace and specify control measures aimed at reducing the risk associated with each hazard.

NorthgateArinso Employer Services can help by providing clients Health and Safety Policies to suit their business, Risk Assessment guidance and templates, example risk assessments and practical on site advice from experienced Health and Safety Consultants.

If there are more than 5 employees these assessments must be written down, however it is advisable that all employers document their risk assessments.

The main type of hazards found in a hairdressers can be:

• Slips, trips and fall.
• Fire.
• Electrical Safety.
• Hazardous Substance.
• Aerosols.
• Manual Handling.
• Wet Hand Work.
• Cuts.
• Lone Working.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 also requires that the responsible person, usually the owner, completes a fire risk assessment to identify all fire hazards and ensure that suitable preventative measures and escape procedures are put in place.  The team of Health and Safety Advisors at NorthgateArinso Employer Services have access to guidance and templates to assist you with this undertaking.

Dermatitis

Up to 70% of hairdressers suffer from skin damage at some point in their career.  

The main signs and symptoms are:

• Dryness
• Redness
• Itching
• Flaking/Scaling
• Cracking/Blistering
• Pain

Dermatitis is not ‘catching’- it can’t be passed from one person to another. It can develop at any time, or not at all - everyone is different.

There are two types of contact dermatitis: irritant contact dermatitis & allergic contact dermatitis.

Irritant contact dermatitis can flare up after a few contacts with strong chemicals like bleach. More commonly it develops gradually through frequent wet working or working with milder chemicals like shampoo.

Allergic contact dermatitis can develop quickly after only a few contacts with a substance like shampoos or colours. Sometimes it can take months or even years for the allergy to develop. Once you are allergic, you are allergic for life and this could happen at any time, even if an employee had no problems previously in their career.

With allergic contact dermatitis, the things you can become allergic to at work might well also be in things you use at home - like your shampoo, or your household cleaners. So if you become allergic to something in the salon it could well affect aspects of your home life.

What causes dermatitis?

One of the main causes of dermatitis is wet working. Hairdressers are more at risk of developing Dermatitis of they have hands in contact with water for long periods of time in a day, over 2 hours for example. Or if your hands are wet several times a day, say if you shampoo 10 clients a day or more. Therefore staff who spend their time doing a lot of the washing are more at risk.

The other main cause of dermatitis is contact with the chemicals in hairdressing products, when shampooing, colouring or bleaching, or in products used for cleaning up.

How to prevent dermatitis

Here's five small steps to prevent dermatitis becoming a big problem:

• Step 1 - Wear disposable non-latex gloves when rinsing, shampooing, colouring, bleaching, etc.
• Step 2 - Dry your hands thoroughly with a soft cotton or paper towel.
• Step 3 - Moisturise after washing your hands, as well as at the start and end of each day. It's easy to miss fingertips, finger webs and wrists.
• Step 4 - Change gloves between clients. Make sure you don't contaminate your hands when you take them off. 
• Step 5 - Check skin regularly for early signs of dermatitis.

However it is not just employees who can have a reaction to the chemicals used. In a recent case a young women was awarded £20,000 compensation when she was blinded by an adverse reaction to a hair colour.  To reduce the risk of customers suffering from similar reactions salon owners can implement a few simple controls.

• Only allow fully trained and competent stylists to administer hair colours and other similar hair treatments.
• Ensure that Material Safety Data Sheets are available for all products used.
• Follow manufactures instructions when mixing treatments.
• Ask customers if they are allergic to any of the active ingredients which make up the treatment or have any know allergies.  If there is any doubt consult with the manufacturer before applying any treatment.
• Consider a patch test to identify any unknown allergic reactions.  If there is any doubt consult with the manufacturer before applying any treatment.
• If a customer complains of itching or burning then seek medical advice to minimise any damage resulting from the use of a hair treatment

Slips and Trips within Hairdressers

Slips and Trips are a major cause of accidents across many industry sectors and hairdressing is no different.  Both employees and customers are exposed to the risk of slips and trips through wet floors, hair, dropped or discarded objects, wires from hairdryers etc.

To tackle slips and trips successfully in your workplace you need to:-
•    Carry out regular risk assessments
•    Put in place an effective management system
•    Maintain the highest standards of housekeeping.
•    Ensure all spillages are effectively cleaned in a timely manner.
•    Repair all defects to floors and stairs
•    Avoid the use of trailing cables and extension leads
•    Encouraging staff to be vigilant and identify hazards,
•    Encourage staff to proactive with removing hazards once they have been identified

Simple cost effective measures can reduce these accidents!

Note - A well-wrung wet mop will still leave a floor in a wet and slippy condition, the use of a well maintained squeegee and a dry mop will help speed up the drying time and leave the floor in a safe condition. Dirty mops and cleaning equipment will only add to the problem by spreading the dirt and grease across the floor surface. Also, coning off an area will only serve to warn of the hazard; it will not prevent everyone from entering into that area so you shouldn't simply rely on this practice.

Accidents within Hairdressing Salons

If you are an employer, are self employed or in control of work premises you have duties under Report of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR).

You must make a report of an accident / incident to the Incident Contact Centre if one of the following occurs:

• A death or major injury eg chemical burn to the eye, broken arm etc
• An injury that lasts over three days eg a serious slip of the scissors
• Disease, e.g., Occupational Dermatitis,
• An accident to a member of the public which requires them to be taken directly to hospital or
• A dangerous occurrence

Many people do not realise that occupational dermatitis is a notifiable disease under RIDDOR.

First Aid

The minimum you should provide is:

•  A suitably stocked first aid kit, and
• An 'appointed person'

An appointed person is someone with specific duties relating to first aid, but not necessarily trained in first aid. Everyone at work must be made aware of the first aid arrangements, eg by instruction and notices. Self employed people must also make sure that there are adequate first aid procedures at work.

As an appointed person is not necessarily trained to give first aid it would be prudent to employ adequate numbers of trained First Aiders (First Aid at Work, a three day course or Emergency First Aid at Work, a one day course) to cover all opening hours.

Musculoskeletal disorders

Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) are problems affecting the muscles, tendons and ligaments, nerves or other soft tissues and joints.  Whilst MSDs can happen inside or outside the work environment they are often made worse by work activities. 

Nearly 40% of MSDs are Upper Limb Disorders (ULD).

Employers have a legal duty  to prevent work-related ULDs or to stop any cases getting worse. If you do not manage the risk of ULDs to workers you run the risk of legal action and possible compensation costs.

• ULDs can be successfully managed in the workplace by:
• assessing the risks - this means looking around your workplace to see which jobs may cause harm;
• reducing the risk of ULDs – this could mean changing the way work is organised;

Ventilation

It is important that the salons are well ventilated. This will prevent condensation and the accumulation of fumes. An open window can be effective or you could install an extractor system for the comfort of your clients.

Manufactures of hair colours and bleaches may recommend that mechanical ventilation be provided when using or mixing some of their products so you should check the Material Safety Data sheet and follow any advice contained within these documents

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH)

Many of the chemical used in a Salon have properties which could result in harm to both employees and customers, therefore these chemicals must be included in the risk assessment.
Where there are no other means by which to protect staff and customers from the chemicals used you must provide protective clothing. This should include:

• Gloves
• Overalls
• Face screens, and
• Goggles

Your suppliers Material Safety Data Sheets will recommend the types of Personal Protective Equipment required and if used correctly these should prevent contact with the chemicals.  The Material Safety Data Sheet will also give advice on the necessary First Aid requirements in case of an accident. Chemicals should also be correctly stored:

• in staff only areas, or
• in a locked cupboard following the instructions on their containers

You must clear up any spillages immediately using the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment as detailed in the Material Safety Data Sheet.