Health & Safety in Salons:
Compliance Guide
Welcome to Crysp’s Guide to Health and Safety in Salons. We know that health and safety compliance can sometimes feel complicated, overwhelming and intimidating. That’s why we’ve written this helpful step-by-step guide to make the process a lot more simple, easy and stress-free for salon owners and managers in the hair and beauty industry.
Contents:
Why is health and safety important in a salon?
The importance of health and safety compliance in hair and beauty salons should not be underestimated. Salon owners and/or managers aren’t only responsible for the safety of their employees, but also the customers that enter their business premises. To keep everyone as safe as possible - and avoid any legal trouble - it needs to be a priority.
Hair and beauty salons might not strike you as particularly dangerous workplaces (as they are designed to be relaxing and stress-free) but they do have several serious hazards that can cause both bodily harm and long-term health problems. For example, most salons make use of noxious chemicals, sharp objects (like scissors) and electrical equipment which can pose a threat to fire safety, such as hair straighteners.
If you are the owner or manager of a salon, it isn’t just your legal responsibility to ensure your business premises are safe for employees and patrons - it’s also your moral obligation to them. Hair and beauty salons that aren’t sufficiently compliant with health and safety regulations risk being closed down, having their licence to practise revoked, or suffering a financial penalty which can be devastating for the owner and their business.
What health and safety regulations apply to salons?
All hair and beauty salons need to adhere to the health and safety regulations that have been set out by the government. We’ve touched upon some of these below. It’s worth noting that salon regulations for health and safety can differ depending on what services you provide. So, if you’re unclear about what specific legislation applies to your business, then it would be a good idea to contact a compliance expert.
The Health and Safety at Work Act (1974)
All businesses, including hair and beauty salons, need to comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974). This legislation is designed to ensure the health, safety and welfare of everybody - whether that’s your clients, employees or contractors you’ve hired to complete repairs on the property. The Health and Safety at Work Act ensures that all businesses conduct risk assessments, provide safety equipment, health and safety training, have preventive measures in place, and are insured to cover any accidents that might occur in the workplace.
Report of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR)
RIDDOR is a fairly straightforward piece of legislation to understand. It simply means that you must report to the Health and Safety Executive any time an accident, illness or injury occurs because of or within your workplace. In a salon, for instance, if a customer has an allergic reaction to a product you’ve used on them, that will need to be reported. RIDDOR is all about preventing harm from occurring again.
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH)
COSHH is an incredibly important piece of health and safety legislation for hair and beauty salons. Most salons use a variety of chemical products, like bleach, aerosols and nail polish remover. These substances each pose a different set of risks. Some are flammable and noxious; others can cause chemical burns and, in the worst cases, blindness. That’s why COSHH is in place. This legislation helps to minimise the risks associated with hazardous substances and ensures that anybody who handles them is trained sufficiently.
Personal Protective Equipment 2002 (PPE)
Personal protective equipment is a necessity in all hair and beauty salons, thanks to the hazardous substances we mentioned above. Not only should employees be given the appropriate PPE, but customers too. Common examples of PPE in a salon include nitrile gloves, protective eyewear and disposable aprons.
Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations (1981)
The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations (1981) mean that every salon should have at least one person trained in first aid present at all times. As part of this legislation, a risk assessment of where first aid might be needed in your salon is necessary.
Please note, if you carry out any other treatments in your salon such as Botox, dermal fillers or laser hair removal then you might be subject to other regulations and may need to register your business with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Be sure to find out what your obligations are to ensure your business is operating within the law by check out our CQC guidance blog on aesthetic clinics.
How is health and safety managed in salons?
Now that we've covered why health and safety in salons is important and what legal regulations business owners must adhere to, we can move onto how health and safety in a salon is typically managed. In this section of the guide, we’ll be outlining the following topics:
Who is responsible for health and safety in a salon?
What are the biggest health and safety concerns in a salon?
What should a health and safety policy for a salon contain?
Who is responsible for health and safety in a salon?
Hair and beauty salons should have at least one person who is legally responsible for overseeing health and safety in the workplace, though several people may occupy this role at once, especially if the salon is a part of a larger chain. Usually, the following people assume the role of being health and safety manager of a salon:
The business owner
A senior employee (i.e. the manager or supervisor)
The owner or landlord of the building
An external party (i.e. a health and safety compliance expert)
It’s important to be aware of the biggest health and safety concerns in a hair and beauty salon so you can put appropriate measures in place to prevent accidents from occurring and reduce the amount of harm that these hazards might cause.
Below you can find some more information about these common safety concerns in salons. Please note that this list doesn’t cover everything and that there might be hazards specific to your business and the services you provide.
Dermatitis
Dermatitis is a common health condition that can arise from working in a hair and beauty salon. As employees are often in contact with chemical substances, their hands can become dry and tight, which eventually leads to cracking, bleeding and sometimes infection. Even the milder chemicals in products like shampoo can cause dermatitis if salon workers are using them all day. As such, it’s essential that employees are provided with nitrile gloves to prevent skin irritation from occurring.
Musculoskeletal Problems
Hair and beauty salon workers often become afflicted with musculoskeletal problems because of all the time they spend standing, using their arms and bending over. To reduce the likelihood of musculoskeletal issues arising, health and safety managers should ensure that members of staff are taking regular breaks. Furthermore, the salon should provide ergonomic, adjustable seating for staff.
Occupational Asthma
Members of staff may be at risk of developing occupational asthma due to the different products they come into contact with and inhale every day. As such, salons must be well-ventilated to help prevent this from happening. Employees should also wear face masks or stand back when applying products like hairspray. If possible, employers should avoid bringing dusty products into the salon too.
Legionnaires’ Disease
Customers and clients may be at risk of developing Legionnaires’ Disease in salons with a contaminated water supply. Health and safety managers can help to prevent Legionnaires’ Disease by frequently assessing the salon’s water supply to see whether legionnaire bacteria is present.
Floor Hazards
The floor might seem innocuous, but it can be very hazardous in hair and beauty salons. Water can easily spill onto the floor, making it slippery, and if staff don’t tidy equipment away properly, then trip hazards may arise. Make sure to have ‘wet floor’ signs on hand to reduce the likelihood of an employee or customer slipping.
Fire Emergencies
Every workplace needs to be mindful of fire safety, but it’s particularly imperative for hair and beauty salons due to the equipment and products they typically use. For instance, hair curlers and aerosols are both common causes of fires. As such, employees should be properly trained on how to carefully handle this equipment. There must also be sufficient fire exits and safety signage on the property and a fire risk assessment must be completed regularly.
Handling Chemicals
The chemicals used in hair and beauty salons can be very dangerous if members of staff aren’t careful with them. Ingesting these chemicals or having them come into contact with unprotected eyes and skin can be particularly harmful. Some chemicals may even pose a fire safety hazard or cause air pollution. This is why it’s crucial for salons to comply with the COSHH legislation.
Electrical Equipment
Electrical equipment can pose a risk to health and safety in a salon if it is damaged, faulty or used irresponsibly. Loose wires and plugs can be especially dangerous in salons, not only because they pose a trip hazard but also because they might shock somebody if they come into contact with water. That’s why it’s important to organise cables carefully and ensure that electricals are kept away from water sources (like hair washing basins).
Hygiene Concerns
Hygiene needs to be carefully considered in hair and beauty salons. A lot of the tools that employees use to treat customers are reused; this means they have the potential to carry harmful bacteria. As such, salon tools should be cleaned between uses and chairs or equipment need to be wiped down regularly. It’s also essential that your employees maintain good hygiene themselves, washing their hands before and after different treatments for clients.
What are the biggest health and safety concerns in a salon?
The HSE has very helpfully created a health and safety policy template that businesses can follow to write their own policies. You can find this template (alongside an example) here.
A health and safety policy for a hair and/or beauty salon should have three key sections. The first section is an outline of your health and safety policy, stating its core aims. The second section covers who is responsible for health and safety, listing those employees’ names, positions and roles. The third section is about the arrangements in place to upkeep health and safety in your salon.
This third section is what often gives salon owners and managers the most grief. That’s why we thought we should do a quick overview of what this section should contain. Here are some of the main areas that a salon’s health and safety policy should cover:
Health & Safety Training
All members of staff should receive sufficient H&S training that specifically applies to the salon and their job within it. A health and safety policy should include information on training procedures and requirements.
Staff Responsibilities
Each member of staff is responsible for their own health and safety whilst also ensuring they aren’t putting other people at risk. A salon’s policy should outline how exactly your staff should generally behave to ensure they’re adhering to safety regulations.
Risk Assessments
One of the most crucial components of a health and safety policy is the section on risk assessments. Your policy should contain information on what the key safety hazards are, how to address them, how to carry out an assessment and so on. With hair and beauty salons, you ought to pay particular attention to the handling of hazardous substances in this section.
Fire Safety Assessments
Usually, health and safety policies dedicate a whole section to fire safety alone because of the significant risks associated with fires. Hair and beauty salons should take the time to identify what these risks are, what can cause them, and how to prevent them, then outline their safety procedures in their H&S policy.
Accident Reporting
Salon regulations for health and safety mean that all injuries, illnesses and accidents caused by or within the workplace must be reported to the HSE. Your policy ought to provide staff with information on how to go about reporting these incidents. Paper versions of accident forms are traditional but can easily be lost and forgotten. Digitising your documentation can make storing and accessing ‘paperwork’ so much more efficient.
First Aid Provision
A salon’s health and safety policy should also include information on first aid provision, such as who is trained in first aid, where first aid equipment is located, how often it should be restocked or replaced, and what the general procedure for first aid is.
Insurance
Though it’s not required by law, it would be unwise to not have full insurance coverage for your hair and beauty salon. Therefore, your health and safety policy will ideally cover what types of insurance are necessary for your business.
What should a health and safety policy for a salon contain?
How can Crysp help you to manage health and safety in your salon?
If you were asked to provide evidence of procedures covering health and safety in your salon, would you be able to produce them easily? Do you have piles of disorganised forms and paperwork? Do you have multiple premises in various locations to keep in line? Staying on top of compliance in your salon can be a massive undertaking.
Crysp can make this task feel much more manageable. With our all-in-one compliance platform, hair and beauty salon owners can organise all their health and safety documentation, monitor their compliance status and manage their H&S training - all in one place, and all online.
At Crysp, we also have a team of health and safety compliance experts on hand to help as part of our consultancy service. So, if you’re concerned about the quality of your H&S policies or conducting a risk assessment, you can contact us and we’ll make sure that your salon is meeting all of the necessary safety requirements.
Contact us now for an informal chat about health and safety in your salon and we'll work with you to make sure you're covered.
Summary
In summary, dealing with compliance and managing health and safety in a salon, or across multiple premises, can be a nightmare for busy salon owners and managers - and can add to the serious stress of running a successful business. Compliance can seem complicated and there is no doubt there are lots of legal obligations to navigate which can be overwhelming - but there is a way to simplify the process and remove the stress.
In our handy guide, we've covered the basics of health and safety in hair and beauty salons in an easily digestible way and shown you that there is help available to ease the pressure of keeping staff and employees safe, managing your health and safety documentation, and ensuring you’re ready should you ever be subject to an inspection. It's crucial to ensure you have rigorous risk assessments in place that not only highlight hazards but show what to are doing to minimise risks; you have a ‘golden thread of information’ through documenting, storing and ensuring easy access to all your paperwork; and that staff are properly trained on health and safety procedures to ensure you have a culture of compliance within your business. All these things will reduce time, money and stress.
And don't forget, Crysp is always on hand to help you navigate compliance, reduce the anxiety and make sure you get health and safety management, right.