Health & Safety Legislation

A simple breakdown of each act or legislation-

Health and Safety at Work Act

Protects almost everyone involved in working situations whether it is within a salon or as a mobile therapist. It states the responsibilities of the employer and employee and all the other acts come from this one (umbrella act)
Your responsibilities are to ensure your own safety and that of others, to co-operate with your employer on health and safety issues.

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations

The regulations cover legal requirements for: Maintenance of workplace equipment, ventilation and indoor temperatures, lighting, cleanliness and handling of waste materials, workstation and flooring, facilities for staff to rest and eat, drinking water, sanitary conveniences.

The Manual Handlings Operations Regulations

The regulations apply to occupations where manual lifting occurs.
The employer is required to carry out a risk assessment that should address: Risk of injury, the manual movement involved and physical constraints the load occurs, individual lifting ability, any action to take to minimise the risk involved.

The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations

The regulations state the duties for the employer and the person using the equipment.
Covers all equipment whether old or new.
Manufacturers’ instructions for the equipment.
Training for use of the equipment.
Maintenance of the equipment.

The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations (PPE)

The Employer has to provide suitable and sufficient protective clothing and equipment for all employees to use and employees to use it. Type of PPE in a salon could be: disposal gloves, masks, glasses, apron.

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH)

Relates to the control of substances i.e., products, gels and sprays etc. It relates to the storage, handling, using and disposal of the products (remember SHUD). You must follow manufacturers’ instructions, salon policy and local by-laws.

Safety data sheets provide information on chemical products that help users of those chemicals to make a risk assessment. They describe the hazards the chemical presents, and give information on handling, storage and emergency measures in case of accident. These sheets can be requested from the suppliers of the products. These can then be used to write risk assessments.

The Electricity at Work Regulations

It is a requirement for the employer to maintain electrical equipment in a safe condition and have equipment checked by a suitably qualified person.
It is the employees’ responsibility to report any known faulty equipment to the employer or manager. And label the equipment and remove from use.

Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR)

It is the responsibility of the employer to report to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) certain work related accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences, ie: accidents resulting in more than three days off work, major injuries, deaths, certain diseases.

Firefighting equipment

Types of extinguishers:

Water – Red, Used on paper, wood and hair fires. Must not be used on electrical fires.
Foam – Cream, Used on liquid fires but can be used on small paper, wood and hair fires also. Must not be used on electrical fires.
Carbon dioxide CO2 – Black, Used on electrical and burning liquid fires.
Powder – Blue, Used on electrical and burning liquid fires.

Fire safety procedures

You need to make sure that you are aware of and have training for the fire evacuation procedures in your workplace.

This information is just a brief overview, if you require more information visit a reputable website like the health and safety executive (HSE) https://www.hse.gov.uk/