Health, Safety and Hygiene in the Salon
What the exam tests
This domain tests infection prevention, chemical safety, risk assessment and legal duties in a working salon. You need to distinguish cleaning, disinfection and sterilisation, select the right control measures and know when an incident must be recorded or reported.
Core rules
- Complete a risk assessment for each service and environment; review it when products, equipment or staff change.
- Follow COSHH: obtain safety data sheets, label decanted products, store chemicals securely and never mix products unless the manufacturer instructs it.
- Use PPE appropriate to the task: gloves for colour and disinfectants, apron and eye protection where splashes are possible.
- Decontaminate tools between clients. Clean visibly soiled items first, then disinfect with a product at the correct contact time; sterilisation is for items designed for it and is not a substitute for cleaning.
- Follow manufacturer patch-test instructions, commonly 48 hours before colour, and record the result. Never rely on an old test if the client's history or product changes.
- Maintain hand hygiene, ventilate colour and perm areas, control trailing cables and keep fire exits clear.
Worked example
A client bleeds after a razor nick. Stop, wear gloves, absorb the spill with disposable paper, clean the area, then disinfect with a chlorine-releasing product at the labelled contact time. Place waste in the correct clinical-waste stream, report the incident and record it. Reasoning: visible blood is a blood-borne virus risk, so cleaning alone is insufficient and ordinary salon waste is not appropriate.
Traps that cost marks
- Calling a UV cabinet a steriliser when it is only storage or low-level disinfection.
- Skipping patch tests because the client 'has had colour before'.
- Using alcohol wipes on a blood spill without the required contact time.
- Blocking fire exits or overloading sockets.