Advice Sheet 11: Hairdressing 1

The general principles of health and safety are to be found in Advice Sheets 1 to 10. However, this sheet contains information on meeting your legal requirements, which has been tailored to your specific needs.

Carrying Out Your COSHH Assessment

1. Gathering Information

• Read the "Blue Book" A Guide To The Health And Safety Of Salon Hair Products in order to find out more about the hazardous nature of the products you use.

• Using the Hairdressers COSHH Assessment Form provided, list all the processes which you carry out involving these products. There may be other products which you use which are not listed e.g. general cleaning substances, aromatherapy oils.

2. Assessing the Risk

You now need to decide at what points somebody might be injured or suffer ill-health. In your opinion, how likely is this? For example:

• Accidental or prolonged contact of the product with the skin

• Splashes, particularly when mixing, and especially to the eyes

• Contact with food and food utensils e.g. mixing of products using food utensils, preparation in sinks used for washing cups, etc

• Contact with incompatible substances e.g. stainless steel, other cleaning chemicals.

• Build up of vapours, aerosols and dusts (from powdered preparations) in the air because of poor ventilation

Observe practices and talk to your staff. Remember to be objective. Find out what is really happening in your salon.

Record the risks you have identified on the Hairdressers COSHH Assessment Form.

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Safe Procedures

Write down the actual procedures and precautions which must be followed. Examples of precautions are:

• Use of correct equipment. This may differ for various processes, so refer to the "Blue Book" and suppliers' guidance

• Set aside suitable preparation areas, separate from staff wash-hand basins and sinks used to wash cups and other food utensils

• Provide sufficient ventilation. Mechanical ventilation is strongly recommended. Aim to achieve about 10-air changes per hour

• Provide and use suitable protective equipment especially gloves and aprons

4. Spillage and First Aid Procedure

• Make sure you have appropriate first-aid equipment

• Have you thought through how you would deal with foreseeable incidents e.g. spillage's, splashes and burns

5. Training

• Take all you staff through your Hairdressers COSHH Assessment Form

• Explain the risk involved, the precautions to be taken and emergency procedures

• Record who has been trained by whom and when. Use the Training Record Form provided in the pack. This form should also be used for other health and safety training.

• Remember it is your duty to make sure your staff have been instructed and trained in the safe working practices, regardless of their previous employment, experience or training

Cleaning and Hygiene

You must have a formal cleaning regime for equipment. It should include, as a minimum standard, the following features:

• Wash all equipment in hot water and detergent between each client.

• Sterilise and disinfect equipment if they have come into contact with cuts, wounds or skin conditions

• Sterilise or disinfect equipment daily. Refer to suppliers recommendations for correct dilution and immersion times

• Change sterilising or disinfecting solution daily

Sinks used for cleaning equipment and missing products must be kept separate from those used for staff hygiene and food utensils.

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 Advice Sheet 11: Hairdressing 1

A copy of this advice sheet is available to download in the following formats:

Advice Sheet 11: Hairdressing 1 - MS Word format 46Kb   

Advice Sheet 11: Hairdressing 1 - PDF format 71Kb 

Advice Sheet 11: Hairdressing 1 - Plain Text format 149Kb