Health, Safety and Hygiene in the Salon
What this domain tests
Health, safety and hygiene questions test infection control, chemical and electrical safety, risk assessment, waste handling and the legal framework behind salon practice. Answers must be practical and defensible.
Core rules and concepts
- Risk assessment identifies hazards, who is at risk, controls and review; it is required under Irish safety and health legislation.
- Cleaning removes soil; disinfection reduces pathogens; sterilisation destroys all micro-organisms including spores. Choose by item use and manufacturer instructions.
- Follow contact times and dilution ratios; more is not better.
- Single-use items such as needles, orange sticks, wax spatulas and gloves are never reused.
- Hand hygiene: soap and water for visible soil; alcohol rub for clean hands. Gloves supplement, not replace, hand washing.
- Chemicals: keep Safety Data Sheets, label decanted products, ventilate, and store away from heat and sunlight.
- Blood or body-fluid spill: wear PPE, contain, clean, disinfect with a virucidal product at the correct contact time, and dispose as clinical waste.
- Electrical equipment: visual check, PAT testing, no trailing leads, RCD protection.
- Record accidents and near misses; know first-aid arrangements and emergency exits.
Worked example
A drop of blood lands on reusable metal tweezers. Reasoning: clean visible blood with detergent and water, then disinfect or sterilise according to policy; because tweezers can penetrate skin, use an autoclave with a validated cycle or single-use alternatives. Record the incident and check hepatitis B vaccination status. Do not simply wipe with alcohol.
Traps that cost marks
- Claiming UV cabinets sterilise.
- Skipping hand washing because gloves are worn.
- Reusing wax or spatulas.
- Ignoring contact time.
- Storing chemicals in unlabelled bottles.