title: Health and safety inspection of hairdressing and nail salons by local authority environmental health practitioners.
abstract: The objective of the study described in this article was to provide environmental health practitioners (EHPs) with an evaluation of the levels of understanding of, and compliance with, health and safety legislation in hairdressing and nail salons. EHPs carried out a series of inspections of 205 salons in a large British city, consisting of a site assessment and an assessment of employee knowledge of relevant regulations, including those relating to control of exposure to hazardous substances. Two-fifths of senior salon employees understood Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) assessments and could provide evidence of their completion. Most employees had been trained and made aware of the health hazards associated with carrying out their work and took suitable precautions to protect themselves and their clients. The results suggest that senior employees within the salons sampled, have knowledge of the risks to health and have been taking measures to control these risks. Initiatives such as the Health and Safety Executive's (in collaboration with local authorities and the hairdressing industry) "Bad Hand Day?" campaign and sector-specific COSHH essentials guidance help raise awareness levels and aim to support good control practice in salons.
authors: Human Sciences Unit and Centre for Workplace Health Health and Safety Laboratory, United Kingdom. jo.harris-roberts@hsl.gov.uk
authors: Joanne
authors: J
authors: Harris-Roberts
authors: Jo
authors: J
authors: Bowen
authors: Jade
authors: J
authors: Sumner
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Fishwick
mesh_terms: D001505:Beauty Culture / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D057189:Checklist; D005161:Facility Regulation and Control; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D015386:Hazardous Substances; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training; D009262:Nails; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012308:Risk Management; D006113:United Kingdom
chemical_list: D015386:Hazardous Substances