Back to work: What ventilation you need
By Scratch Staff | 24 June 2020 | Expert Advice, Feature
Scratch gathers guidelines from across the industry for what should be considered for when you & your clients set foot back into your business…
The government’s Keeping workers and clients safe during COVID-19 in close contact services guidelines state:
“Maintaining good ventilation in the work environment, for example keeping windows or doors open.”
Click here to read the Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19) government guidelines.
Evidence suggests that the virus is less likely to be passed on in well-ventilated buildings, so keep windows and/or doors open where possible to allow for the air to circulate. “Nail technicians are to have an efficient desktop or ‘at source’ dust capture to the side of their station for all services involving enhancements, the use of an e-file or UV gel polish with ‘builders’,” reveal the British Beauty Council guidelines in collaboration with Marian Newman & Doug Schoon. “These should be cleaned frequently and strictly following manufacturer instructions.
“For natural nail treatments, technicians are to keep nail filing dust to a minimum by disposing of paper desk towels after treatment. In all cases, windows and doors should be opened to maintain adequate air circulation.”
Doug continues: “It is important to understand that viruses and other pathogens don’t have ‘wings’, but they do have ‘magic carpets’ – meaning they take rides on dust particles that fly them all around the room for everyone to inhale.
“Dusts can carry pathogens, so if you don’t control nail filings/dust, you are not doing all you can to control potentially infectious pathogens. Invest wisely in ventilation. Buy a quality ventilation unit designed for salons. HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) devices are very useful as they keep the spread of dust to a minimum. Anything you can do to minimise dust in your salon will definitely make it a safer place so I would recommend using both a clean air machine and desktop dust collector.
“In your risk assessment, consider the number of people working compared to the size of the space and make a judgement about your air quality and ventilation equipment.” If using a ventilation system, check the number of air changes from the manufacturer’s guidance, which is dependent on the size of the salon.
Spotlight on: Vodex
With high suction capability and low noise, the SalonAIR uses a multi-layered filter cell system to capture the dust and odour, filter and return clean air into the salon.
Mobile and compact, this unit comes with a speed/ remote controller and a range of capture accessories in the form of a stay put bamboo arm or the FileOWAY.