. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Beauty - SalonHealth&Safety safety first By Donna Taylor
Do you know what health and safety regulations you should be following?
As a business owner or salon manager you have responsibilities towards your staff, your clients and yourself to ensure that you comply with the law at all times. When it comes to Health and Safety or treatment risks make sure that you’re aware of the rules you need to follow.
Failure to comply with the health and safety laws could land you with a hefty fine, jail sentence or lawsuit; and not only that, not doing so could result in a serious injury (or worse) of a member of your staff or one of your clients. Needless to say the damage to your reputation could mean the end for your business, so don’t let your hard work go to waste by neglecting to follow a few simple regulations.
According to the Health and Safety Authority in Ireland (
www.hsa.ie), who are responsible for enforcing health and safety at work, over 95% of businesses in Ireland today are ‘small’ businesses with 50 or less employees. As a salon, it’s likely that you will be classed as a small business. One thing that a small business has in common with their larger counterparts is the obligation to provide a safe and healthy place to work.
“No matter how small your business you need to manage safety. In fact, you are legally responsible for the safety of yourself, your employees, and any other person that may be affected by your work activities,” says the Health and Safety Authority.
The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work act 2005 is the principal law in Ireland covering the safety of employees. This Act consolidates and updates the provisions of the Safety, Health and Welfare Act 1989 and it applies to all employers, employees (including fixed term and temporary employees) and self-employed people in their workplaces. The Act sets out the rights and obligations of both employers and employees and provides for substantial fines and penalties for breeches of the health and safety legislation.
Áine Coady of Athrú Solutions, an Irish company that offer advice on health and safety in the workplace, as well as other work related issues, says: “The main objective of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 is to provide preventative measures to occupational health and safety in the workplace. However the Act also has implications for persons who control the workplace environment. Section 8 of the 2005 Act requires every employer to ensure, so far as reasonable practicable, the safety, health and welfare at work of all of his or her employees.”
Following the
regulations Under the Safety, Health andWelfare at Work Act 2005, every employer is required to carry out a risk assessment for the workplace. Take a good look at your business and its activities to determine what factors could potentially cause harm to your employers or clients – this is your health and safety risk assessment.
“Section 19 of the Safety, Health and Welfare atWork Act 2005 requires that employers and those who control workplaces to any extent must identify the hazards in the workplaces under their control and asses the risks to safety and health at work presented by these hazards,” comments Áine.
“Employers must examine and write down any potential hazards and risks that are present in the work place. Employers must also write down what control measures they are going to put in place to reduce / eliminate this risk / hazard from occurring.” For an idea of some of the typically assessed risks in the salon, see the box on the next page.
As an employer youmust prepare a Safety Assessment which is based on the risk assessment. “Section 20 of the Safety, Health andWelfare Act 2005 stipulates that employers also have an obligation to produce a written programme to safeguard employees in all aspects relating to Health andWelfare in the workplace, this is more commonly known as a Safety Statement,” says Áine.
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