Lesson 6 in Nail Care Services:

Nail Salon Hazards and

Precautions for Workers
Working in a glam nail salon may seem like it poses minimal
safety risks. However, it’s a profession that involves more
hazards than you might realize. All the polishing, gluing, and
disinfecting can create chemical fumes that pose a serious risk
to your health. Likewise, the way you position your body when
working can threaten your physical well-being, and you may even
face fire and infection risks.

You can easily protect yourself from these hazards by

implementing effective control measures around the salon. By
following the guidance in this article, you’ll be able to run a salon
where workers feel safe and healthy and can focus on polishing
customers’ nails to perfection.

Nail Salon Health Risks

The risks you may face in a nail salon are not only significant due
to the severity of health problems they can cause. They are also
unseen, meaning you could be filing and painting nails day after
day without even realizing you’re vulnerable. Plus, they affect
you gradually over time. This is why safety measures are so vital.
There are three main types of nail salon hazards:

1. Chemical Hazards

Salon staff constantly work directly with and around hazardous

substances:

 Nail polish, artificial nails, primers, fingernail glue, polish

remover, and more.
 Filing nails creates dust that can be harmful to inhale.
 Disinfecting chemicals.
 Cloths, cushions, cotton balls, and other fabrics soaked in
cleaning chemicals or glue remover.

These hazards pose serious risks to staff’s health and safety:

 Inhalation of chemicals or dust can lead to irritation,

headaches, dizziness, sickness, occupational asthma, or
even cancer.
 Ingestion can cause throat irritation and illness.
  Direct contact with the skin or eyes can cause irritation,
rashes, or occupational eczema and dermatitis.
 Poorly-handled waste chemicals and fabrics continue to
spread fumes and pose a fire hazard.

Some of these issues are minor and manageable, like irritations

and headaches, while others are debilitating and irreversible,
such as occupational asthma or cancer. They can
also exacerbate existing health issues, including asthma and
eczema.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking these are just ‘hazards that
come with the job’. The Control of Substances Hazardous to
Health (COSHH) Regulations require all workplaces to protect
their staff from harmful substances used for work activities.
2. Ergonomic risks

Many salon workers adopt a poor posture to carry out their job.
They may lean over and rest their arms on the desk, which
strains their back and applies harmful pressure to contact points
on their arms.

Over time, poor ergonomics can lead to bad joints, sore muscles,
and even chronic musculoskeletal disorders.

3. Risk of infection

Customers or staff with broken skin or uncovered wounds may

allow infections to spread, particularly when they soak their
hands or feet in basins. Good hygiene practices can easily
prevent the spread of infection.
How to Control Nail Salon Health Risks
Safety measures for minimizing chemical hazards, ergonomic
risks, infection risks, and fire hazards are simple to implement
and follow. They ensure your nail salon complies with COSHH
regulations and keeps everyone safe and in good health.

Safety measures for controlling hazardous chemicals:

 Know the chemicals you use. You can learn this by reading
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), which should
 accompany all the products in your salon that contain
dangerous chemicals. MSDS tell you how to minimize risks
for the specific types of chemicals in the products you use.
 Ventilate the workspace. Throughout the day, fumes will
build up in the room. Use a downdraught table to remove
harmful chemicals and open windows to let in more fresh
air. If ventilation vents and windows are near each other,
make sure staff work away from the window, as this allows
fresh air to circulate the room properly.
 Store chemicals safely. Everyone should follow the storage
instructions stated by the products they use. They should
store them away from heat sources in well-ventilated
storage areas, keep bottles closed when they are not using
them, and avoid storing more products in the salon than
they need.
 Good housekeeping. Staff should clean up chemical
spillages right away and do so safely. They must also safely
dispose of materials used to clean spillages, as well as
cotton balls and other fabrics soaked in chemicals. This
type of waste should go in a lined, lidded bin.
 Personal protective equipment. Staff should wear
protective gloves to minimize chemical exposure to the
skin. Nitrile gloves offer the best protection, so avoid latex
or vinyl. Note that dust masks are not an acceptable control
measure for hazardous chemicals.
 Health surveillance. An occupational health professional
should monitor the health of staff who work around
chemicals for a significant part of their day.

Controlling chemical hazards will minimize health risks

associated with inhalation and physical contact, as well as fire
risks.

Safety measures for ergonomic hazards:

  Staff should sit up straight and keep their arms supported
by a cushion or pad on the table.
 They should use an adjustable chair that supports their
lower back. Feet should lay flat on the floor without
straining the thighs.
 Use a cushion or other means to prop up the customer’s
hand or foot to prevent staff from leaning forward.
 Staff should take regular breaks between customers to
stretch.

Avoiding musculoskeletal strain is straightforward, so long as

staff consistently maintain a good posture and improve their
working space.

Safety measures for preventing infections:

  Staff should wear gloves at all times and dispose of them
after each customer.
 Cover wounds with plasters.
 Avoid touching blood or bodily fluids. If staff need to clean
these up, they must wear their gloves and dispose of them
safely afterwards.
 Thoroughly disinfect tools, worktables, and basins after
each customer.

You can easily prevent the spread of infections in your nail salon
if you follow these good hygiene practices.