OSHA Urges Salon Owners to Implement Protective Measures

OSHA announces it will continue to issue citations and fines to beauty salons that fail to implement precautions protecting workers from exposure to formaldehyde when using certain hair products. This cancer hazard can cause allergic reactions of the skin, eyes and lungs, and salon owners who use products that contain or release formaldehyde must follow the requirements of the agency’s formaldehyde and hazard communication standards to keep workers safe. Federal OSHA has already issued citations to 23 salon owners and beauty schools this year, with fines ranging up to $17,500 for failing to protect workers from overexposure and potential exposure to formaldehyde. Some of these violations include failing to communicate the hazards of exposure to formaldehyde, inadequate protective equipment, not testing air levels and failing to list formaldehyde as a hazardous ingredient on the material safety data sheet, the hazard warning sheet provided to salon owners and stylists. OSHA already has conducted significant outreach to salons and beauty schools, and in late September, the agency even issued a second hazard alert to hair salon owners and workers. “The best way to control exposure to formaldehyde is to use products that do not contain formaldehyde. Salons should check the label or product information to make sure it does not list formaldehyde, formalin, methylene glycol or any of the other names for formaldehyde,” says David Michaels, OSHA’s Assistant Secretary of Labor. “If salon owners decide to use products that contain or release formaldehyde, then they must follow a number of protective practices — including air monitoring, worker training and, if levels are over OSHA limits, good ventilation or respirators.”