Holly Valentine Wednesday 6th October 2010

Health and Safety at Work Act:

The Health and Safety at Work Act was applied to prevent hazards from
happening in the salon. For example; no running, make sure wires are wound up and
put away nicely, there are no spills on the floor, all chemicals are out of the way and
work surfaces are clean and tidy to work on. This will affect everyday life in a salon as
there is a lot of work going around, when equipment is used it should be put back into
the right place and checked regularly for health and safety reasons. If something is
dropped on the floor i.e. a comb, brush or roller, it should be put straight into the
barber-side so no gems get onto the equipment and spread around the salon.
Appearance is also important in a salon it’s a legal requirement; it must also be highly
desirable from everybody’s point of view. This involves by looking neat and tidy all
the time, avoid eating foods with an unpleasant odors such as; onions and garlic. Hair
should be kept clean and well cut, nails and hands should be well cared for, avoid
wearing loads of jewelry and salon uniforms must be spotlessly clean and fresh. This
requirement has been made so that people look presentable when their working. Clients
don’t want to see filthy nails and messing hair in front of the mirror they want to see a
person well dressed and suitable for the job.

The Work (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regulation:

The Workplace (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regulations cover specific areas of
health, safety and welfare to increase the general duties on employers under the Health
and Safety at Work Act. The aim of this regulation was to provide a reliable set of
minimum workplace standards. The Workplace Regulations deal with general
requirements in 4 broad areas: the working environment, Safety, Facilities and
housekeeping.

This affects me in a work place as my employer still has a duty to ensure mine and
others health and safety is under the right regulation. I must make sure that equipment is
maintained and in good shape to use around the salon. And should check that every
workplace; furniture, furnishings and fittings must be kept clean. Floors, walls and
ceilings must have easily cleaned surfaces. And waste materials should be contained in
suitable containers.
The Manual Handling Operation Regulation:

The Regulations are relevant to a wide range of manual handling activities involving
the transportation or supporting of an object, including lifting, lowering, pushing,
pulling, carrying or moving. Always lift heavy items in the correct manner; bend knees,
grasp the item, straighten legs to lift the item, keeping the back straight at all times. Do
not over extend yourself when handling items above head height. Use suitable steps and
ask a colleague to hold the steps when in use. This may affect people for example
there’s a heavy box needed but it’s on the top shelf, still using the step ladder it could
be too high and as you’re trying to reach it you may lose balance and fall.

The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulation:

The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulation are designed to ensure
that all equipment used in any work place, such as a factory or school for appropriate
standards suitable for the environment which it’s used properly maintained also should
be used and trained properly. I have to be provided with the right equipment to maintain
my hairdressing course. And all the equipment I use must be suitable and safe to use on
clients. The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulation was designed to make
sure that the equipment used in any work place must be the correct equipment. For
example; a doctor working on an operation would not use a kitchen knife to precede the
surgery. They would use the proper equipment, that is also ensure that we have been
taught properly on how to use the equipment and it should be done professionally.

The Electrical At Work Regulation:

The Electrical at Work Regulation is designed to impose health and safety

requirements with respect to electrical used at work. General duties are imposed to
ensure that all electrical systems have been properly constructed, maintained and are
used in such a way so as not to give rise to danger. All fixed installations are tested for
safety. They should also be tested and examined after major rewiring or have any
changes to the installation. This is relegation is kept by doing the following; checking
the equipment is safe before using it, making sure there are no electrical wires near any
water. Having no frayed wires to avoid electric shock and to keep check on whether it’s
had a new P.T.A test. All these things must be done so the work place is safe and
professionally looked after. The Electrical at Work Regulation was designed to make
sure that equipment is safe and made for the use of a healthy work place. All work
equipment must be used in a sensible manor so it doesn’t get broken and used in the
correct way. If any equipment is broken it should be reported and fix immediately.
The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulation:

Protection at work is one of the most important things. We should be provide

with the right equipment for health and safety such as; hard hats, goggles, apron, gloves
etc…Protective Equipment should be well assessed before use to ensure it is suitable,
and it has to be well maintained and stored properly. All equipment used must come
with instruction, without them the equipment could be put on wrong and someone could
get hurt. The short term of The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulation is
called the PPE. To allow the right type of PPE to be chosen, carefully consider the
different hazards in the workplace. This will enable you to assess which types of PPE
are suitable to protect against the hazard and for the job to be done. Ask your supplier
for advice on the different types of PPE available and how suitable they are for different
tasks. It may be necessary in a few particularly difficult cases to obtain advice from
specialist sources and from the PPE manufacturer.

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulation (COSHH):

COSHH is the law that requires employers to control substances that are
hazardous to health. It also covers chemicals, products containing chemicals, fumes,
dusts and gases. If the packaging has any of the hazard symbols then it is classed as a
hazardous substance. This affects me because if there is a spillage of hair dye or perm
solution then I should immediately clean it up before it becomes a hazard towards
someone in the salon. Once used a chemical it shout be put back where it belongs, all
surfaces it was used on should get wiped down and equipment used with the chemical
should be put in the barber-side for 10-20 minutes.

Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations:

Salons need to keep an accident book into which details of accidents and incidents
are written. All accidents and potential accidents must be documented as soon as
possible and reported to your supervisor. When completing the documentation you must
stay calm, write clearly and give full details. This could affect anyone in a salon and the
best thing to do is dial the emergency number in my case by dialing 222 for the collage
health and safety supervisor and deal with the matter there onwards. If there is a fire
emergency you should use the correct fire extinguisher that will automatically get rid of
the hazard straight away. If the fire is too big to precede then you must go to the nearest
fire exit and make you way to the coops and wait until its all clear to go back inside.

Controlling risks to Health & Safety:

 Almost anything can be a hazard, but by keeping a sharp eye can prevent such
things from happening. A trailing electrical cable from a piece of equipment is a hazard
if it trails across the floor this could become a risk but if its hanging from a wall out of
the way the risk becomes much less. A box of heavy material is a hazard. It presents a
higher risk to someone who lifts it incorrectly, rather than someone who uses the
correct manual handling techniques.

Responsibilities for Health & Safety in You Job Description:

Being aware of hazards around the salon is a vital procedure. I have a
responsibility to contribute to a safe environment, so I must take steps to check and deal
with any sources of risk. For example someone has spilt water on the floor and left it
there I could have the decency to get a mop and clean it up. Deal directly with the
hazard, which means you have taken an individual responsibility.

The Responsibility Persons to Whom You Report Health & Safety Matters:
There are some occasions where a certain hazard can be dealt with by yourself, if
this ever occurs then you should inform a responsible person, e.g. your manager or
supervisor. This applies to hazards that are beyond your responsibility to deal with such
as; faulty equipment, worn floor coverings or broken tiles, loose damaged fittings, such
as mirrors, shelves or back washes and finally fire- follow the correct procedures to
raise the alarm and help with the salon’s evacuation procedures.

Electrical Fires:
Blue – powder: these extinguishers are used on electrical fires.
Black – carbon dioxide:
Yellow – foam: these extinguishers are used on electrical fires and
used on Class B fires and small Class A fires

Unit G20
Salon Hygiene – Personal Appearance
Hygiene within the salon is not only a legal requirement; it must
also be highly desirable from everybody’s point of view.
- This affects me by looking neat and tidy all the time, avoid eating foods
with an unpleasant odour such as; onions and garlic, hair should be kept
clean and well cut, nails and hands should be well cared for, avoid
wearing loads of jewellery and salon uniforms must be spotlessly clean
and fresh.
- This requirement has been made so that people look presentable when
their working. Clients don’t want to see filthy nails and messing hair in
front of the mirror they want to see a person well dressed and suitable for
the job.

Reporting Accidents and Incidents

Salons need to keep an accident book into which details of
accidents and incidents are written. All accidents and potential
accidents must be documented as soon as possible and reported to
your supervisor. When completing the documentation you must
stay calm, write clearly and give full details.
- This could affect anyone in a salon and the best thing to do is dial the
emergency number in my case by dialling 222 for the collage health and
safety supervisor and deal with the matter there onwards.

Safety in the Salon

- Always mop up spillage of liquids immediately.
- Sweep up hair clippings and place in covered bin.
- Do not block doorways, emergency exits or stair ways.
- Visual check electrical equipment before use. Faulty equipment must be
reported.
- Do not trail electric cables across walkways in the salon.
- Find out where the salons first aid box is and if there is a trained first-
aider on duty.
 - Work tops must be kept free of litter; chairs should be wiped down every
day, including back and legs.
- Towels and gowns must not litter the salon. Clean towels must be used on
clients.
- Brushes, combs and rollers should be washed and disinfected regularly,
every client should have a clean brush or comb to use on their hair to
avoid cross infection.

Safe Manual Handling

Always lift heavy items in the correct manner; bend knees, grasp
the item, straighten legs to lift the item, keeping the back straight
at all times. Do not over extend yourself when handling items
above head height. Use suitable steps and ask a colleague to hold
the steps when in use.
- This may affect people for example there’s a heavy box needed but it’s on
the top shelf, still using the step ladder it could be too high and as you’re
trying to reach it you may lose balance and fall.