Health, Safety and Hygiene in the Salon
Domain 8 tests infection control, legal duties, chemical and electrical safety, waste handling and emergency readiness in an Irish salon context.
Infection control
- Wash hands before and after every client; wear gloves for waxing, extractions, tinting and blood/body-fluid contact.
- Clean visibly soiled items; disinfect surfaces and non-porous tools; sterilise metal implements by autoclave. “Barbicide” is a disinfectant, not a steriliser.
- Use single-use files, spatulas, wands and needles where applicable; never share.
Legal and chemical safety
- The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 places duties on employers and employees: risk assessments, safe systems, training and accident reporting.
- Keep safety data sheets for chemicals; label decanted products; never store chemicals in drinks bottles; ventilate.
- Electrical equipment should be PAT-tested; keep leads tidy and away from water.
- Know fire exits, extinguisher locations and first-aid arrangements; keep waste separate and dispose of sharps/clinical waste correctly.
Worked example: A bottle of nail monomer spills. Reasoning: it is flammable and irritant. Evacuate the immediate area, ventilate, wear gloves, absorb with inert material, avoid sparks, dispose as chemical waste and record the incident.
Traps: calling disinfection sterilisation; blocked fire exits; unlabelled bottles; ignoring accident reporting; using expired products.