Occupational Health and Safety
Scope of salon safety
OHS in a salon is about preventing harm from chemicals, tools, electricity, and repetitive work. Know the three levels of decontamination: cleaning removes visible debris; disinfection kills most pathogens on non-porous implements; sterilization destroys all microorganisms and is rarely done in salons. Porous items such as wooden files and buffing blocks cannot be reliably disinfected, so use single-use items or discard them.
Chemical and workplace hazards
WHMIS 2018 requires hazardous products to have supplier labels, pictograms, and a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) accessible to workers. Store chemicals in original or clearly labelled containers, away from heat, and never mix products unless the manufacturer instructs. Use ventilation, gloves, and eye protection. For spills: contain, ventilate, follow the SDS, and dispose according to local rules. Never pour chemicals down a drain unless permitted.
Ergonomics and infection control
Prevent repetitive strain with adjustable chairs, anti-fatigue mats, neutral wrists, and micro-breaks. Wash hands before and after each client; use barriers and fresh capes and neck strips. For blood or body-fluid exposure: wear gloves, disinfect, and report. Know your right to refuse unsafe work.
Traps: questions that call any wipe-down “sterilization”; assuming a disinfectant works without full contact time; forgetting that a patch test is a chemical-safety step; ignoring that an SDS must be available, not just memorized.
Worked rule: read the disinfectant label. If it says “10-minute contact time,” the implement must be pre-cleaned, fully immersed, and left for a full 10 minutes. Shortening it invalidates disinfection. When in doubt, use the contact time and concentration on the label - never a guess.