I am an Occupational Health researcher at the Health and Safety Lab and I am interested in the nail industry, currently working on some research into what health and safety training nail technicians are actually receiving. At the moment it is just an informal fact finding mission for myself to get my head around all of the different issues involved with the training of health and safety within the nail industry.

With this in mind, I just wanted to post a few questions to get some feedback from you all. This will just be to aid me in which path I need to go down to start my research and not be part of any formal work that I will do. So any thoughts you have would be much appreciated!

Some of the issues I would like to get your feedback on are as follows:
What training courses you have been on? (Eg, type of course/duration of course)
What health and safety was included, how long were you taught it for and what method was used to teach you this?
Was it useful and do you apply it in your work?
How do you think it should be improved?

If you have any other thoughts on health and safety training within the nail industry and would like to contact me my email address is j4desum21@hotmail.com.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts! Thanks, Jade

After I recieved a concerned PM from a geek regarding this post, I just wanted to take a second to say that I specifically asked Jade to post this on the site and that it is 'legit'

Hi!! Just thought id reply to this. I am vtct trained in nail treatments and technology. We covered health and safety. We learnt about control of substances hazardous to health.. Storing our equipment. Not touching or getting product onto the clients and our skin. We also had a student meeting in which we could raise health and safety concerns. We were taught how to safely dispose of unused product and what to do if a client has a reaction to a product. The health and safety was very good however there was a concern of mine(which I brought in the student meeting.) We had no ventilation!! There were ten of us all filing and using monomer at the same time with no extraction and I had a rotten headache after and during the next day to the point where I thought I no longer want to be around this product!! However I persevered and got my technique up to scratch and now I work safe!!!! Hope this helps x

Thanks sarahpoppy24, thats useful information. At the moment I am just trying to get my head around all the different courses out there and what health and safety is being taught. Then I might be going on to do some further research if we think there is a need to. The Geek has been great, as have Habia, but I also am really wanting to know what the technicians think of the the health safety training as well so thanks for the information!

Hi, well i unfortunately did one of those 4 day nail training courses and they covered no health and safety at all, what i found weird was that i was able to get insurance with this course and be let loose on the general public. You will be glad to hear that I didn't though. Am currently doing VTCT Level 2 Beauty Specialist and Hairdressing and health and safety is covered very well. It is a completely separate section in the workbook. There seems to be a lot of these "change your career" courses that are covered in a few days and health and safety is just not included all that i was told was to "use your common sense". I had the sense to see that i wasted my money and am now pursuing a more extensive course.

Thanks Abbie123, I am getting a lot of information about this at the moment, its all very interesting!
Thanks for taking the time to leave a message, its much appreciated. Jade

I have completed several short courses with product companies anywhere from 4 days to 1 week,
1 with an independant (dont know what they would be called as it looked like a classroom but when I arrived was someones extension) didnt learn a bean, didnt get a certificate either. On all of these I was given hand outs with diseases and disorders, health n safety never told how to hold a file properly.
ITEC Manicure & Pedicure and Nail Technology was just over 3 months long. For about 2 years of my career I knew very little about COSSH, about the chemical make-up of the products I was using and how to dispose safely of them, most of the info I learnt from my books (The Complete Nail Technician & The Encyclopedia of nails) magazines, and from this site. After 4 years as a Tech I had to step up and learn chemistry as I was a rep for a product company and was taught by the owner of the gel company - my eyes n mouth were wide open as I hadnt a clue really, It helped me improve my work greatly. My clients hadnt really been in harms way but I had! I was overexposed - I used used to rest my arm in excess monomer and wipe my gel brush on my hand (dont ask why!) Got RSI
I was thirsty for more info so decided to become an Educator so went back to college and joined HABIA so I can pass on good advice and info to my students.
I really learnt nothing usefull H&S wise from any of the short courses I went on but I follow all my learnings from ITEC.
We learn/I teach:
Sanitization & Steralisation
Proper tool use, sanitising and storage
COSHH - I use/provide each student with the code of conduct
Hygiene & personal grooming
Ergonomics
Accidents & Insurance
Overexposure,
Bacteria

As its a 14week course we learn each week for about 30 mins though it is linked to the A&P (Bacteria is taught with the skin/routes of entry etc.)
I really advise students to go to college as 4 days is just not enough. Once you have a ITEC/NVQ certificate then heading to product companies is the best thing to do as I teach about generic products, so they'll learn tips n techniques on how to get the best from products.

I think encouraging a standad that Tech's need to be at is a great idea and I know its is happening right now.

Hiyah
I went to college to learn nails back in 1999 and my course covered Health and Safety at work act
Sanitization & Steralisation
Proper tool use, sanitising and storage
COSHH
Hygiene & personal grooming
Accidents & Insurance
Overexposure
Ventillation
Bacteria

I always make sure that I am fully up-to date and I painfully research any new updates and changes etc... and add them to my file

hth
Sue

Hi
I did a year long ITEC level 3 diploma in nail technology and completed a 3month VTCT manicure and pedicure alongside.
We covered health and safety very thoroughly as this was a seperate part of our exam, this also included COSSH etc. We had a seperate exam for our nail technology, one theory and one practical.
I feel that I finished my course with a good knowledge of health and safety and put it into practice in my working life.
I think that as my course was a year long, it gave more time to address these issues.
hth

RedAdmiral, Tiptop and Fairynice

Thanks so much for the information, the more I can hear from people the better and it is helping me get a much better idea of the industry, and not be so much in the dark. I really appreciate your time in giving me you thoughts, Jade

We are amazed at how many colleges are happy with sub-standard practices when it comes to hygiene and H&S. Sadly, this then permeates throughout the industry which gives the industry a bad name.

Yes, there are some excellent colleges and training establishments out there who are doing what they can to get standards higher, but so many other establishments have 'a lot' to answer for with their slap-happy 'approach.

Hygiene and H&S must be at the top of every person's agenda who is involved in the beauty industry - no matter what avenue they are in.

We get many calls from both members and non-members asking about health and safety. I am shocked at what experienced techs and trainers/educators dont know! If some of the trainers/eductaors dont know, then the poor students dont stand a chance.

We have produced a leaflet with very basic info, that i have to admit needs updating, but it gives the basics. Professional Beauty and Professional Spa - Health and safetly in nail salons

I used to run a nail training school and NVQ assessment centre. Everyone of my students had H & S info, even on a nail art class. They also had to get info from HSE as part of their homework, before their cert was issued.

Hope this helps!

really intresting comments, this subject was raised a few years back, how do we k now who has what knowledge as at the moment there is nothing in place to moniter, eduactors /education.



How could this be monited.?

What is the purpose in the orginal "thread maker " gathering this information as help full as it is.?

very good comments , how could the industy moniter this, and improve ,so we all follow the same standards, or the general public have something to measure this by.?

Caroline,

I have been doing research into the beauty and hairdressing industry for the last three years. In the last year I did a big piece of work on nail work in conjunction with Habia and HSE and one of the recommendations from this work was to look into what health and safety training nail technicians receive. In the previous work we did ask this question but it did not go into detail.

So at the moment I am gathering information to see if

1) there is a need for me to progress further into looking into what health and safety training nail technicians actually receive and

2) to help me get a better understanding of the different courses are on offer and what health and safety training people have received on them.

Therefore after speaking with Samuel Sweet we decided a thread on here would be a good idea to just get some informal information straight from the horses mouth. Then if I decide to do the research I will explore all avenues and perhaps ask for formal participation from Geek members to take part if they wish. If we do go onto this stage, once we have gathered the information, recommendations will be made and then these will need to be taken forward by another party, eg Habia.

Sorry if I have rambled on a bit! Let me know if you need to know anything else. Jade