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It is a well known fact that hairdressers can avoid work-related skin damage by wearing non-latex gloves at work. Worried about the dismal proportion of people using these gloves in the industry, the HSE is now promoting their use.

People working in salons, who are in regular touch with water and hair care products, have been found to be 17 times more prone to skin diseases. The problem can be easily solved by protecting the hands with non-latex gloves, but most hairdressers avoid these gloves as they feel it is inconvenient and a nuisance while they work.

About 70 percent of hairdressers are likely to suffer skin damage at some time during their professional life. Skin diseases not only make the hand look ugly, they can also be quite painful, which means that it becomes almost impossible for hairdressers to work until they have recovered fully from such a condition. It is surprising that even the threat of losing their livelihood temporarily does not make the hairdressers take sufficient precautions.

To dispel the notion of inconvenience caused by gloves, the HSE recently conducted trials in 750 beauty salons across the country. The salon workers were given long-sleeved vinyl and nitrile gloves free of cost and they were asked to wear them for all tasks that entailed contact with water or hair products.

The results of the trials were encouraging, as 80 percent of the workers found the gloves comfortable, while 74 percent said that they could work as usual while wearing the gloves.

The HSE is hoping that the results of the study would encourage more workers in the industry to seek protection through the simple yet highly effective method of wearing non-latex gloves.

Employers, now more than ever need to arm themselves with the right advice and training though the direction of experts in the field. Workplace Law Training run a highly regarded nebosh distance learning course that could be just the ticket for you.

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