Non-Latex Gloves Must be Used by Hairdressers to Protect Skin, Says HSE
Exposure to strong chemicals in hair care products and constant contact with water often cause skin related diseases like dermatitis in hair salon employees. They face a 17 times higher risk of getting skin related problems and it is said that approximately 70% of them suffer from these problems sometime or the other.
These diseases are not only agonizing but they also make the hands look dreadful and ill. As a result, the hairdressers cannot work until they have recovered from the skin ailment, thus losing their livelihood.
The Healthy and Safety Executive (HSE) recently did a study regarding the use of non-latex gloves to prevent such diseases. It is often argued is that it is not possible for the hairdressers to work with the gloves on. The study, which was conducted in around 750 hair salons in 38 local authorities, aimed to find if this is just a misconception, and whether hairdressers can continue working normally while wearing vinyl or nitrile gloves.
The hairdressers were provided with the gloves, which had long sleeves and asked to use them while they were in touch with water and hair products. The HSE also distributed information about skincare during the campaign.
A large majority of the hairdressers found the gloves comfortable and around 75% said that they could do their work without any trouble. Encouraged with the positive response from the study, HSE is now seeking to promote the use of these gloves.
Wendy Nixon, who is the Health and Safety Manager at Habia, which is an association for the hair and beauty industry, said that she is happy that the response of the hairdressers was positive. She also expressed her hope that salons will benefit from this new finding.
All staff and management must be fully aware of and comply with health and safety regulations as laid down by law. Find out about the range of accredited nebosh courses available from the experts at Workplace Law Training.
