Application
This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to follow safe practices to minimise risks to self, client and colleagues in a salon environment.
It requires the ability to follow hygiene and skin penetration guidelines, clean the work area, use electricity safely, identify and report faults, use personal protection and work safely.
This unit applies to workers in environments providing beauty treatments and hairdressing services. In these environments they work with limited supervision, and have responsibility for providing safe treatments for their clients.
No occupational licensing, certification or specific legislative requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENTS | PERFORMANCE CRITERIA |
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. |
1. Protect self from infection risks. | 1.1 Select and use personal protective equipment and procedures to minimise infection risk when necessary. 1.2 Follow hand washing procedures prior, during and after individual salon services. 1.3 Cover non-intact skin with waterproof dressing. 1.4 Handle and dispose of sharps correctly to prevent stick injuries according to regulations, standards and guidelines for clinical waste management. |
2. Apply organisational safety procedures. | 2.1 Follow safety directions of supervisors, managers, workplace safety warning signs and other nominated risk control measures. 2.2 Promptly report unsafe work practices, including any bullying and harassment, and breaches of health, safety and security measures 2.3 Apply manual handling procedures to all manual handling tasks. 2.4 Identify and remove hazards from immediate workplace area and report work-related hazards and incidents to supervisor. 2.5 Participate in workplace health and safety consultative processes and risk assessments for and contribute to risk control decisions. |
3. Use electricity safely. | 3.1 Take preventive measures to minimise static electricity in the salon. 3.2 Use electrical equipment safely during treatments. 3.3 Identify and report electrical faults or potential unsafe work practices. 3.4 Store electrical equipment safely. |
4. Minimise infection risks in the salon environment. | 4.1 Take preventative action to minimise potential cross-infection risk between clients and between clients and colleagues. 4.2 Use standard and additional precautions for treatments as required. 4.3 Apply skin penetration guidelines to treatments as required. |
5. Follow infection control procedures. | 5.1 Select and use appropriate procedures, products and equipment for cleaning and disinfecting work surfaces and equipment prior to, during and after treatments. 5.2 Dispose of single-use items and left over products immediately after use. 5.3 Prevent blood to blood contact by following standard precautions of personal protection procedures. 5.4 Clean blood or body fluid spills following the organisation procedure. 5.5 Change towels and linen between clients, and use disposable treatment table coverings as required. 5.6 Prevent contamination of products by following safe practices and using dispensers and single use spatulas. |
6. Follow procedures for emergency situations. | 6.1 Follow fire and emergency procedures including workplace evacuation. 6.2 Identify designated personnel responsible for first aid and evacuation procedures. 6.3 Identify and follow safety alarms. |
7. Clean salon. | 7.1 Routinely clean surfaces in workplace and maintain common areas in a safe and uncluttered manner minimising inconvenience to customers and staff. 7.2 Mix and store cleaning chemicals according to manufacturer guidelines, safety data sheets and salon requirements. 7.3 Store salon equipment to ensure cleanliness and readiness for next use. 7.4 Safely dispose general waste and hazardous substances in designated bins to minimise negative environmental impacts. |
Evidence of Performance
Evidence of the ability to complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit in the context of the job role, and:
integrate the use of predetermined health, safety and security policies, procedures and safe work practices into day-to-day work functions across six, three hour work, training or assessment periods which must be combined with assessment of SHB coded units, that includes:
correctly applying personal protection and infection control procedures to minimise infection risk before, during and after six salon treatments or services
following organisational procedures for safe:
cleaning of blood or body fluid spills
disposal of:
sharps
single use instruments
selecting, preparing, using and storing cleaning and disinfection equipment and products for:
equipment
general salon areas
work surfaces
sequencing cleaning and disinfection procedures for effective decontamination of reusable equipment
identifying incidents of short circuits, overloaded circuits and equipment wear and deterioration
taking safe remedial action and reporting to supervisor following organisational procedures
identifying workplace hazards and following organisational procedures for reporting:
chemical spills
broken or faulty tools and equipment
fire
needle stick injury
slip, trips and falls
spills and leakage of materials
clean general salon area
participate in two hazard identification and associated risk assessment activities
respond in line with organisational emergency procedures during one emergency evacuation.
Evidence of Knowledge
Demonstrated knowledge required to complete the tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit:
basic aspects of the relevant state or territory Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) or Work Health and Safety (WHS) legislation:
responsibilities of persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) or employer
worker responsibilities to participate in work health and safety practices
worker responsibility to ensure safety of self, other workers and other people in the workplace
ramifications of failure to observe OHS or WHS law and organisational policies and procedures
industry and organisational procedures relevant to own job role:
workplace hazards and associated health, safety and security risks
health, safety and security policies and procedures for:
consultation
managing emergencies
hazard identification, reporting and risk assessment
dangerous incident and injury reporting
working safely with tools, equipment and hazardous substances
format and use of template:
reports for hazards, injuries, emergencies and dangerous incidents
risk assessments
hierarchy of risk control:
eliminating hazards
isolating hazards
using administrative controls
using engineering controls
personal protective equipment
safe work practices for own job role with particular emphasis on:
safe use of tools and equipment
safe use and storage of hazardous substances and cleaning products
safe manual handling techniques for bending, lifting and shifting heavy items
potential injury and illness impacts of unsafe beauty work practices including bullying and harassment
relevant state or territory and local legislation and guidelines relevant to own job role:
health and hygiene when providing beauty treatments
skin penetration
infection control procedures relevant to salon treatments and to own job role:
equipment and work surface design, cleaning and disinfecting
handling and disposal of sharps
laundry procedures
personal hygiene practices
personal protective equipment
organisational infection control procedures:
cleaning sequence and rosters
preparation and use of cleaning chemicals
treatment procedures
process for managing exposure to infectious clients
infectious agents and their relationship to salon treatments and service:
viruses
bacteria
fungi
parasites
transmission routes of infectious diseases and their relationship to personal services and treatments:
direct contact
non-intact skin
work surfaces
equipment
cross infection:
client to operator
operator to client
operator to operator
blood to blood infections:
HIV/AIDS
hepatitis
contingency procedures for occupational exposure to blood and body fluid
infectious contraindications and required action steps:
erysipelas
herpes
impetigo
paronychia
pediculosis
scabies
tinea pedis
tinea unguium
verruca vulgaris
appropriate selection and use of personal protective equipment relevant to own job role
immunisation protection for workers in the personal services industry
methods of cleaning procedures used in a salon environment
benefits of physical, thermal and chemical disinfection
different types, dilutions and storage of chemical disinfection products
safe use of electrical equipment and according to manufactures instructions relevant to own job role:
safety considerations:
contingency plans and emergency procedures
effects of electrocution
factors affecting severity of electrical shock
how short circuits occur:
faulty equipment or insulation
current that bypasses the load
how overloaded circuits occur:
faulty equipment
excessive current through circuit
types of electrical safety devices:
earth leakage circuit breakers
overload cut out devices:
circuit breakers
fuses
surge protectors
causes of static electricity and minimisation in a salon environment.
Assessment Conditions
Skills must be demonstrated in a personal services salon environment; this can be:
an industry workplace
a simulated industry environment set up for the purpose of skills assessment, that provides services to paying members of the public.
Assessment must ensure access to:
paying clients, both new and regular, with different client service requirements, who have the expectation that the services provided reflect those of a commercial business
hand washing facilities
basin
hot and cold running water
liquid soap and single use towels or hand dryer
current plain English regulatory documents and codes of practice distributed by the local work health and safety government regulator
organisational policies and procedures used for managing work health and safety practices:
administering first aid
consultation
electrical equipment
infection control
managing emergencies
hazard identification, reporting and risk assessment
dangerous incident and injury reporting
working safely with beauty tools, equipment and hazardous substances
template reports for:
hazard identification and reporting
dangerous incident reporting
injury reporting
manufacturer’s instructions and safety data sheets (SDS) for cleaning and disinfection of tools and equipment.
Assessment must ensure use of:
cleaning and disinfection products
cleaning and disinfection equipment for mixing and storage
disposable spatulas, wipes, sponges, cotton wool and tissues
electrical equipment
personal protective equipment:
apron
clothing
eye protection
closed footwear
gloves; treatment and cleaning
masks
sharps and sharps disposal container
Assessment activities that allow the individual to:
demonstrate competency in an environment reflective of real work situations
manage tasks and contingencies in the context of the job role.
Assessors must satisfy the Standards for Registered Training Organisation’s requirements for assessors and:
hold a qualification as a beautician, nail technician, beauty therapist or hairdresser
have worked as a beautician, nail technician, beauty therapist or hairdresser for at least three years where they have applied the skills and knowledge of this unit of competency.
Foundation Skills
Foundation skills essential to performance in this unit, but not explicit in the performance criteria are listed here, along with a brief context statement. | |
Skill | Description |
Oral communication skills to: | ask open and closed probe questions and actively listen to clarify workplace safety information and instruction clearly present own viewpoint on workplace safety issues during consultation. |
Reading skills to: | interpret symbols used for Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) or Work Health and Safety (WHS) hazards interpret and follow manufacturer instructions for safe use, dilution and storage of cleaning and disinfection products. |
Writing skills to: | write legible workplace documentation such as completing incident reports to provide clear and succinct details. |
Numeracy skills to: | calculate ratios of cleaning and disinfecting products and disinfection timing. |
Teamwork skills to: | work collaboratively with colleagues to implement and follow safe work procedures. |
Sectors
Cross-Sector
Competency Field
Work Health and Safety