Safety first: why compliance is key to salon success
By Scratch Staff | 10 September 2019 | Expert Advice, Feature
Sharon Sandhu, category manager for nails at Salon Services UK & Ireland, reveals why it’s important to revise your health & safety beauty knowledge…
As summer business quietens down, it’s the ideal time for salons to go ‘back to school’ and reassess health & safety knowledge. Here are pointers to consider when it comes to compliance to make sure your business is up to scratch:
Are your nail products UK compliant?
Did you know that not all nail products are legally compliant to use in the UK? There are a few reasons this could be the case; for instance a product could contain an ingredient that’s deemed unsafe, or it may not have been tested. And this is no trifling matter.
Using products that aren’t compliant could have enormous repercussions for you and your business – from fines, to invalidating insurance – as well as being deemed unsafe for your customer.
You need to make sure your business is compliant with UK law so you can protect your clients, yourself and your business. But, with so many nail products available to buy online – and a great number of them shipped from overseas – how can you make sure that the products you’re buying are legal and safe for use in the UK? For overseas suppliers, you should ask the supplier for a SDS (Safety Data Sheet) document for each of the products you buy from them and if they are unable to supply straight away, I would question why.
The trick is to be vigilant, and check the products you’re ordering for key details such as country of origin, ingredients list, directions of use, hazard warnings, use by date and a EU based (UK based company post Brexit) company you can contact. The CTPA – The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association (CTPA) is widely regarded by government, European and international stakeholders and the media alike as the credible voice of a responsible UK industry. Its website has all the information you need to keep up-to-date with all the latest legislation around product compliance and clear guidelines as to what to look out for on compliant packaging information.
And don’t forget to check your tools and equipment are compliant too. For example, if you’re considering buying an electronic filer to make express manicures even quicker, make sure you’re buying high quality equipment. Kupa is a great brand and in the hands of a qualified professional, the Kupa ManiPro KP-60 Handpiece (£225 ex VAT) and Kupa ManiPro Passport Electric File Control Box (£100 ex VAT) make light work of nail filing.
To make things even easier, my advice is to ensure you always purchase your products from a reputable supplier that you know and trust, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for use.
Last, but not least, don’t mix brands. A lamp from one manufacturer won’t have been tested for use with another brand’s gel polish – so it’s best practice to use the same brands together. The same applies for Gel Base & Top Coats.
If you’re safety conscious and you know it, tell your customer
Compliance isn’t just about looking after your own business — it’s also about caring for your customers. So, why not tell them all about the effort you’re putting in to ensure they get the best, safest treatment? After all, if a client knows you’re putting them first, this will help build a long, trusting relationship with them
Professional training and qualifications for techniques or procedures are, of course, incredibly important for protecting you and your customer, too. For instance, if you want to learn a new hard gel system, it’s only by signing up for a professional course – like the ASP In Control & T3 LED Hard Gel Intensive Foundation Course(£260 ex VAT) – that you can learn and perfect all the right techniques under the supervision of an expert, and get all the health & safety knowledge you need to carry out the service competently and confidently and invest in your career.
By investing in high quality training, as well as letting clients know that you’re using safe, approved products and equipment, you can reassure clients that you have the skills and certifications you need to safely carry out procedures.
Health & safety may not be fun but it’s vital for salons, so should never be swept under the rug. By purchasing products and tools from trusted suppliers, systematically checking that products are compliant, and ensuring you’re trained and certified to use them, you can build trust with your customers as you protect their back, as well as your own.