Risk Assessment
Carry out a risk assessment together with your employees, identifying the areas of risk within your business and then demonstrate that you have put in place measures to protect clients and staff. It is a good idea to have the risk assessment recorded as a document that all staff members can have access to, a typical format for this might look like this:
Hazard | Who might be harmed and how | What Precautions are currently in place? | Any further action required? | By Who | When | Date completed |
Hair dye solution | Clients or staff could have a reaction to the ingredients within the solution | Allergy (patch) testing takes place 48 hours before a client’s treatment | Continue to regularly conduct patch testing | All Hairdressing staff | Every 3 months | Ongoing |
Staff Training
All employees must receive regular Health & Safety at work training. This covers several key areas including:
· COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health)
· Fire Safety
· Manual Handling
· Electrical Safety
Health & Safety Policy
A Health & Safety Policy is a written statement that sets out how you, as an employer ensures that the workplace is a safe environment to work in. It is a legal requirement that you have this policy displayed in your hairdressing salon.
First Aider
HSE states that employers must have appropriate first aid provision for their workplace. It is good practice for a hairdressing salon to have a nominated person who, in the event of an accident, will be able to administer first aid. They would need to gain a qualification in first aid at work by attending a first aid training course to be renewed every 3 years.
Allergy Testing
You should have as a standard practice the regular patch testing of products on clients skin 48 hours before exposure to assess if they might react to a product.
There are key regulations that everyone who runs a hairdressing business should comply with. These are:
