Workplace safety for a hair and beauty salon

Workplace safety for a hair and beauty salon

A hair or beauty salon is two things at once in the eyes of the authorities: a workplace under occupational safety law and a personal care facility under public health rules. You can be inspected by the Labour Inspectorate and by the regional public health authority, and each looks at something different.

What you need from your first employee

• initial OSH training and refresher training at least every two years (Section 7(1) and (5) of Act No. 124/2006 Coll.),
• a written risk assessment document and a list of PPE (Section 6(1)(c) and (d) of Act No. 124/2006 Coll.),
• occupational health service and work categorisation (Section 21(3) of Act No. 124/2006 Coll.),
• fire protection training on entry and then every 24 months (Section 22 of Decree No. 121/2002 Coll.),
• fire protection documentation under Section 9(2) of Act No. 314/2001 Coll.,
• records of occupational accidents under Section 17 of Act No. 124/2006 Coll.

The duties also apply when the stylists work as self-employed contractors. If you provide them with the premises and equipment, part of the duties stays with you; exactly how much depends on the contract.

Epidemiologically significant activity

Work in hairdressing, cosmetics, manicure and pedicure is an epidemiologically significant activity. Employees must meet the health and professional competence requirements under Sections 15 and 16 of Act No. 355/2007 Coll. The everyday term "health card" does not exist in the law; it refers to a certificate of health fitness issued by a physician.

Operating manual and hygiene

Decree No. 554/2007 Coll. of the Slovak Ministry of Health on detailed requirements for personal care facilities requires in particular a facility that is a closed unit, structurally and operationally separated from other premises, with running water, heating, ventilation and a washbasin at the workplace; daily wet cleaning and disinfection of surfaces, with surfaces in contact with the customer treated after every client; mechanical cleaning, disinfection and sterilisation with effectiveness checks for instruments that break the skin; separate storage of clean and used linen and clean linen for every customer; and a written operating manual containing the procedures for disinfection, cleaning, waste handling and maintenance.

Chemical factors: dyes, peroxide, acetone

Dyes, oxidants, bleaches, varnishes and removers are chemical substances and mixtures. Government Regulation No. 355/2006 Coll. applies to them. You need safety data sheets, an assessed risk, operating procedures for mixing and storage and informed employees. In practice that means gloves, working ventilation and extraction where volatile substances are used.

Contact dermatitis and standing work

The two most common health topics in the trade are skin disease from wet work and chemicals, and musculoskeletal strain from long standing. Gloves, barrier creams, alternating tasks, non-slip footwear and a stool for seated work where possible belong in the risk assessment and in the training outline.

Electrical appliances

Dryers, curling irons, straighteners, sterilisers, UV lamps and cosmetic devices are subject to regular inspections and tests. Since 1 May 2025 the applicable standard is STN 33 1630:2025, which replaced STN 33 1600 and STN 33 1610, with parallel use until 1 May 2027. The electrical installation is dedicated technical equipment under Decree No. 508/2009 Coll.

Fire protection

In rented premises the tenant performs the fire protection duties unless the lease says otherwise (Section 6(2) of Act No. 314/2001 Coll.): portable fire extinguishers under Section 9 of Decree No. 347/2022 Coll. checked once a year, free and marked escape routes under Government Regulation No. 387/2006 Coll. and preventive fire inspections under Section 14 of Decree No. 121/2002 Coll. Watch out for aerosol sprays and flammable liquids stored in drawers near a heat source.

Ask for a quotation for your salon, just send us the number of employees and the address.