Health, Hygiene, Safety and Infection Control in the Salon
This domain tests whether you can break the chain of infection, choose the correct level of decontamination, and manage salon hazards. Exam questions often give a scenario - a cut, a spill, a shared tool - and ask for the correct sequence.
Cleaning, disinfection, sterilisation
- Cleaning removes soil with detergent and water; it does not reliably kill pathogens.
- Disinfection uses chemicals to kill most pathogens but not necessarily spores; follow the manufacturer's contact time exactly.
- Sterilisation kills spores, usually by autoclave; UV cabinets are storage or limited disinfection, not sterilisation.
- Single-use items: blades, emery boards, wooden sticks, wax spatulas, mascara wands, needles.
Standard precautions
Hand hygiene before and after every client and after gloves; gloves for blood or body fluids; PPE; covered sharps container; colour-coded waste; no eating in the treatment area.
Blood or body-fluid spill
Wear gloves, absorb the spill, clean with detergent, then apply 0.5% (5,000 ppm) chlorine for about 10 minutes, rinse, dry, discard waste as clinical waste and document the incident.
Product and equipment safety
Read the safety data sheet; patch test colour 48 hours before; ventilate for monomers and aerosols; check cables and PAT testing; keep chemicals labelled and out of reach; follow ergonomic posture.
Worked example
Clippers nick the neck and a little blood appears. Reasoning: bloodborne viruses are the risk. Stop, put on gloves, dispose of the contaminated blade or guard as clinical waste, disinfect the clipper with a hospital-grade product for the full contact time, clean the chair and surfaces, cover the nick, document, and reschedule if needed. Do not simply wipe and continue.
Traps that cost marks
- Calling a UV cabinet a steriliser.
- Wiping a tool with alcohol and calling it sterile.
- Reusing a file or wax spatula 'because it looks clean'.
- Ignoring stated contact times or mixing disinfectants.