Improving salons’ health and hygiene

Mansfield District Council is rolling out new practice guidelines for beauty therapists operating in the area, in a bid to further improve health and hygiene in salons.
Promotion of new health and safety procedures during beauty treatments at Vision West Notts.

Tina Edge Chartered Environment Health Officer, Amanda Jogela Head of Lifestyle Academy, Cllr Mick Barton, Shannon Hayter and Polly Walton.Promotion of new health and safety procedures during beauty treatments at Vision West Notts.

Tina Edge Chartered Environment Health Officer, Amanda Jogela Head of Lifestyle Academy, Cllr Mick Barton, Shannon Hayter and Polly Walton.
Promotion of new health and safety procedures during beauty treatments at Vision West Notts. Tina Edge Chartered Environment Health Officer, Amanda Jogela Head of Lifestyle Academy, Cllr Mick Barton, Shannon Hayter and Polly Walton.

The authority has introduced new procedures to reduce contamination from waxing and to make nail treatments safer.

The council is also working with beauty students at West Nottinghamshire College to ensure good practice amongst current students.

Coun Mick Barton, portfolio holder for public protection at the authority, said: “The council has a responsibility to ensure businesses who provide beauty treatments do so safely and don’t risk the health of their customers through ill-practice.

“By working with Vision West Nottinghamshire College, we can ensure that aspiring beauticians have the skills and knowledge to work safely when they go into employment, or become self-employed.”

The new guidelines for waxing prohibit the use of double dipping, where the spatula used on a client is reinserted into the wax pot. This can contaminate the wax with hairs and skin cells, which could then be applied on to another client, the council said.

The council also discourages the use of electric nail files, especially for use on natural nails as it can cause significant damage.

The new procedure guidelines will be enforced and regulated under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

Any business which carries out massage and special beauty treatments is required to apply for an annual licence from the district council, a spokesman said.

As part of the yearly application process, environmental health staff will incorporate the new waxing and nail prodecures into annual inspections.

Berry Hill-based beauty therapist Faye Dove said the new procedures were designed to stop therapists from using spatulas in waxing treatments.

She said: “We used a roller for waxing for a while, but it was a lot more expensive and used a lot more wax.

“It’s all about being hygienic - we get through a lot of spatulas on each client because they are disgarded each time they come into contact with the skin.”

The new policy was launched at West Nottinghamshire College last week, when Coun Barton and council environmental health inspector Tina Edge paid a visit to the Revive beauty salon.

They were shown a range of treatments from current students Shannon Hayter, Polly Walton, Kathryn Dobbins and Jenna Youngs.

To reduce the risk of fungal nail infections, it has been agreed that every client visiting the college training-salon and having a nail treatment will have a new nail file and buffer, or one that has been soaked in sanitising solution. The college currently uses a new disposable cardboard file on each client.

The college already follows the code of practice set by Habia, which is the Government-appointed industry authority for hair and beauty.

The college has around 100 students who graduate from eight beauty-related courses each year, with many going on to work in salons within the area.

By signing up to the agreement, teaching staff at the college will ensure student beauty therapists follow the procedures whilst they are studying.

Amanda Jogela, head of the college’s Lifestyle Academy said: “Staying up-to-date with current health and safety procedures is a vital part of any beauty therapy business and by working in conjunction with the council’s Environmental Health team we’re confident that we’ll be helping to instil good ethics with newly-trained therapists in the area and ensuring they are entering the world of work as knowledgeable as possible with regards to waxing and nail treatment hygiene.”