Outcome 1p. State the purpose of personal protective equipment used in a salon during different services

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE)
Not only does your uniform give you a professional identity in the beauty
salon or in a retail sales area but it is also a piece of protective workwear.
Your shoes should be secure to prevent slips and trips and ideally your
toes should be enclosed (ie no open-toed shoes) as this will also protect
your feet from injury.

Some PPE for the employee should be supplied by the employer. As a
beauty therapist or nail technician, your employer should provide:
■ disposable powder-free and latex-free gloves
■ aprons
■ particle masks
■ eye protection.

DISPOSABLE POWDER-FREE AND LATEX-FREEGLOVES
There are some treatments where it is advisable to wear disposable
gloves to protect your the hands, prevent staining to your hands and
more importantly to avoid cross-infection. Gloves should ideally be nitrile
or PVC and should be powder free. Latex should also be avoided in case
the therapists or clients are allergic to latex. Gloves should be worn
during waxing treatments. It is a personal choice to wear a pair of
disposable gloves when you are checking the feet for contra-indications
or when you are applying an eyelash tint.

APRONS
An apron might be worn during certain treatments to protect your clothes from damage and spillages – for example, when you are waxing, carrying out a pedicure or applying body art.

PARTICLE MASKS
If you suffer from asthma or allergies, it is advisable to wear a particle
mask when you are filing nail enhancements. Particle masks will also give
you protection when you are working with fine sprays and airbrushing,
such as nail art, media make-up or body art. You might also choose to
wear a mask to provide some protection against cross-infection if you or
the client has a cold or more recently symptoms of Corona Virus.

Be aware though that most face masks will give only limited protection or provide protection for a limited period of time only.

EYE PROTECTION – SAFETY GLASSES
There are very few occasions when eye protection is worn in the salon.
You might choose to wear safety glasses when clipping nails (both
natural and nail enhancements) to prevent nail clippings from flying into
your eyes. Eye protection should however be worn when you are
handling chemicals (eg when decanting from larger professional
containers to smaller ones for salon use) to prevent chemicals from
entering the eyes or when you are checking water chemicals in a spa