Health and safety in salons and barbers

Staff should wash hands before and after each client.

Good house keeping is essential, and workstations / chairs should be disinfected after each client. 
Cloaks, capes and towels should be washed on a hot cycle.
Staff should never eat, drink or smoke while carrying out a service.

Wherever possible, use disposable items such as neck strips, single-use razor blades, and tissues. These items cannot be cleaned and must be disposed of after each client.

For metal tools such as scissors, clippers or razors, these should be disinfected with barbicide after every use.
For best practice you could use an autoclave to sterilise the tools. 

As a business you must have provisions to remove your waste. This includes general waste, clinical waste, and sharps.

If staff are unwell with anything contagious (sickness, diarrhoea, skin conditions, etc) they should not provide treatments to prevent the spread of infection.

Chemicals should be stored in labelled, sealed containers away from heat sources and out of reach of customers.

All staff should be trained on how to use the chemicals as per the manufacturer’s instructions.

Staff should wear gloves when applying hair dyes, bleach or chemical treatments.
Masks should be worn when working with aerosols or powder to reduce inhalation risks.

Do not provide treatments on clients with broken skin, scalp infections, or visible skin conditions to prevent cross-contamination and irritation.