Salon hazards are invisible: they settle in the lungs and on the hands, over years. Occupational asthma and hand eczema are the two most reported conditions in the trade. Your salon with fewer than 20 employees must have a written OHS action plan.
Persulfates in bleaches, methacrylates in nail products and the formaldehyde released by some smoothing treatments are sensitisers: once a person is sensitised, a tiny dose is enough to trigger an attack. General ventilation does not solve it — capture has to happen at the station.
Shampooing, colouring, manicures: past two hours a day of wet or gloved hands, the skin barrier gives way. Dermatitis often shows up within the first year on the job and becomes chronic if nothing changes.
Cuticle nippers, files, pedicure blades: a cut on a diabetic client or one carrying an infection exposes both people. Poorly disinfected footbaths are a documented source of mycobacterial infection.
Arms above shoulder height to cut, neck bent over a nail table, eight hours standing on a hard floor. Shoulder, wrist and back disorders are the leading cause of time off in hairdressing.
IPL, aesthetic lasers, hot wax, steamers: a class 4 laser injures the retina in a fraction of a second, even by reflection off a mirror. A risk almost always missing from salon OHS plans.
A questionnaire tailored to hair and beauty work — products, ventilation, disinfection, postures, devices. Auto-generated plan, dated PDF export, ready to show an inspector.
Answer the questionnaire — freeThe plan appears on screen without paying. The PDF export and the four other documents are $129, once. See what is included
It is the trade's most common question, and the answer turns on the facts rather than the label on the contract: who sets the hours and prices, who supplies the products, who takes the payment. The more you control the work, the more likely the person counts as a worker despite the chair rental. When in doubt, have the CNESST determine the status rather than assuming. One thing holds either way: the premises, the ventilation and the products are yours.
Yes — occupational asthma and contact dermatitis are among the recognised conditions in hairdressing and beauty work. What matters then is proof: your safety data sheet register, the training given and the capture measures show how exposure was managed. Without that file, the discussion happens without you.
Yes. A person on placement in your salon is covered and must receive information and training on the hazards of the job before starting — not two weeks in. That is also when cuts and splashes happen most.
No. Self-employed with no employees at all, you are not subject to the action-plan requirement. From the first employee, apprentice or student placement, yes — and the obligations all arrive at once.