Questions for home salons

[Debs]

I have a couple of questions that hopefully someone here can answer for me.
I have a home salon and so far really have only been playing at it. I`m now taking it really seriously, done a proper business plan and need to do everything properly and by the book but I need help with a couple of things
1. Do I have to be a first aider?
2. Do I have to have a full first aid kit?
3. Is a small dry powder fire extinguisher enough for a small room or do I need more?

 

[joolsroz]

hi Debs

i've had my home based salon a couple of years now... you do need to have a look into the following things if you want to do things correctly..

COSHH
Health & Safety
public liability
Home insurance - i found AXA very helpful here... i've been with them throughout
fire policy/accident book/procedure
business insurance

these are just off the top of my head... but your local council should be able to provide details of what you need to look into... have a look on their web site to, or get a starting a new business text book, this will list everything you need to do... also when advertising if you want to put signs up outside your home for instance... you will be open for business rates!!! (i dont do this, yet anyway)

hope this helps a little
Julie:biggrin:

 

[joolsroz]

I'm not qualified for this....i'm sure you dont have to either!

I have a couple of questions that hopefully someone here can answer for me.
I have a home salon and so far really have only been playing at it. I`m now taking it really seriously, done a proper business plan and need to do everything properly and by the book but I need help with a couple of things
1. Do I have to be a first aider?
2. Do I have to have a full first aid kit?
3. Is a small dry powder fire extinguisher enough for a small room or do I need more?

 

[Karren]

hey debs

well im not a first aider - cant bear blood ! but i have the 999 number and moby close to hand !

I have a first aid kit, which i have used once - thankfully my client caught her arm on her watch ?! so a plaster was needed !

Fire Extinguisher - i think perhaps a small one should be at least what we have to enable us to get a quick safe exit if needed, or at least to break a window ! im not sure that id be able to lift a bigger one and i know that if i did try to put out a fire id probably make it worse ! What about a fire blanket wouldnt this be safer for us to put over the fire and contain it ?

mmmm maybe there is a course out there, or needs to be, to give us in our profession the basics with health and safety including first aid and fires ?

kx

 

[Kellyc]

Hi Debs, cant say 100% but i dont think that you need to be a first aider unless you have a certain number of staff working for you, you do need a small first aid kit for definate though and with eyewash in it, when i contacted the Council they sent me a book of everything i needed to have but most of it wasnt needed if you were worked by yourself x

 

[Debs]

Thanks guys,
I have everything else in place, and I was a first aider but its now expired and I`m not too eager to renew it.
I have a fire blanket but I wanted to know if we had to have a fire extinguisher instead and as for the first aid kit, I`d rather make up a pretty tin of products rather than the big first aid kits that need a room of their own.
I have to say I`m not getting any help from the council, I just keep getting redirected or is it the runaround?

 

[emmad]

Debs,
I've contacted health and safety for my area several times and left messages for them. I only wanted to kow what I needed to comply with and whether or not I needed to register for some kind of inspection. They never call me back - dont seem to be that interested. Strange isnt it.

 

[Urban Geek]

Hi Debs - This is all covered in the NVQ and I think that Rachel or Mum will be able to clarify. Requirements vary from Council to Council but you definately need to have a first aid kit, including eye wash (available from Boots - a small one if only you working from home) in your salon and an abccident book. Although ideal, you don't need to be a qualified first aider but do have to have procedures in place in the event of someone taking ill and an accident book to hand. As Julie says you need to be aware of COSH, have adequate public liability insurance and check with your home insurance incase that is affected. Contact the Health & Safety Executive, your local planning department and HABIA do a H&S Implementation Pack. Dry powder fire extinguishers are suitable for all types of fires and a small one should be adequate for a home salon. You know all about Material Safety Data Sheets, etc.