Personal hygiene and preventing the spread of infection is the responsibility of everybody working in the hairdressing and barber industry.
Knowing how and when to apply standard hygiene precautions is critical for any successful business.
Safe and hygienic work practices need to be applied to every client because some people may not be aware that they have an infection or a blood borne virus, and they are not obliged to disclose such information to a hairdresser.
Successful infection prevention and control involves:
- good personal hygiene practices, including tying long hair back, trimming nails, clean clothing and the wearing waterproof coverings on cuts and abrasions
- washing and drying hands before and after client contact
- the use of protective barriers such as gloves, gowns, plastic aprons, masks etc.
- appropriate handling and disposal of sharps, e.g. razors
- use of single use equipment when applicable
- appropriate processing of re-usable equipment and instruments.
Hand hygiene and hand washing
Hand hygiene is the most important step in preventing the spread of infection from one person to another.
Hands can become contaminated through contact with a client, the environment or other workers.
As a general rule, a hairdresser should wash their hands:
- before and after contact with each client or after any interruptions in a procedure
- after eating or smoking, or answering the phone
- after going to the toilet
- after blowing their nose, coughing or sneezing
- after handling laundry or waste
- after contact with blood or other bodily substances
- when hands become visibly contaminated.
Important steps to follow when hand washing include
- Wash hands with soap and warm water
- Hands should be rubbed together for a minimum of 15 seconds so that the cleaning solution (soap) comes into contact with all surfaces of the hands, paying particular attention to the fingertips, thumbs and the areas between the fingers
- Hands should be rinsed then patted dry using disposable paper towels or a hot air dryer
- Paper towels, soap and a waste receptacle should be located next to the hand basin
- Scrubbing brushes are not recommended for scrubbing hands as they can cause damaged to the skin.
What to use for hand washing
Soap (general hand washing)
For general hand washing, plain soap or liquid soap is sufficient.
Alcohol-based hand rubs (ABHRs)
ABHR can be used for general hand washing in conjunction with soap and water e.g. use an ABHR in between client contacts
ABHRs may also be used on hands that are already visibly clean.
The active ingredient in ABHRs varies and may include ethanol or isopropanol. A product with at least 70% alcohol (isopropanol) is the most effective.
When selecting an ABHR, the product must have Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approval as a hand hygiene product and meet the EN1500 testing standard for bactericidal effectiveness.
It is important that the products are used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
Please note the Department of Health does not promote specific products, nor do they mandate product selection.
Other aspects of hand hygiene
Cuts and abrasions
As intact skin is a natural defence against infection, cuts or breaks in the skin or the presence of skin lesions are possible points of entry for infectious organisms. If these are infected they can be a possible source of transmission of infectious organisms.
To reduce the risk of cross-transmission of infectious organisms, cuts and abrasions should be covered with waterproof dressings, or the hairdresser must not perform the procedure until the wound is treated. Alternatively gloves may be used.
Wounds and infections on client
If a client has an open wound or infection, open sores or abrasions, or the hairdresser does not feel comfortable providing a service to a client due to a skin condition, the hairdresser should recommend they consult their general practitioner and have the condition treated before they return.
Alternatively the hairdresser may elect to provide a service to a client, even if they have a skin abrasion or infection, if they believe they can appropriately provide the service around the condition.
Personal protection
Personal protection is used to protect both the client and hairdresser by providing a physical barrier to infections caused by dirt, blood and excretions.
Protection includes:
- washable aprons
- disposable gloves
- surgical masks
- protective eyewear goggles.
When choosing the right protective clothing/equipment consider:
- the likelihood of being exposed to dirt, blood or excretions
- ways that a worker could be exposed.
Protective clothing/equipment must be made available for staff and training should be provided on ways to prevent transmission of infection and cleaning of equipment.