Learn your WHS & Covid-19 Duties for your salon
I am sure you would have heard what WHS is but if you haven't (or if you need a refresh), it stands for Work Health and Safety and there are laws in Australia that requires you to take care of the health, safety and welfare of your staff members (including yourself, contractors, volunteers and others such as customers)
As a salon owner, there are certain duties that you must be aware of and ensure you put in place. These duties relate to workers, other people in the salon, to your salon and facilities, to provide information, training and supervision and to consult. But don't panic! Let's go through them in the most simple way so it is very easy to understand.
Duties to your Staff Members
You must do what you can to ensure the health and safety of your staff. You must eliminate the risk of exposure to Covid if reasonably practicable or at least minimise it as far as possible.
Some examples to protect your team from the risk of exposure to Covid include practicing physical distancing, practicing good hygiene practices, keeping team members away from the salon when they are unwell and cleaning the workplace regularly and thoroughly. On our website, we have a collection allocated to "Salon Hygiene & Infection Control" which you can find by clicking here.
Duties to Other People in the Salon
Take actions to ensure that the work of your salon is not putting the health and safety of other persons (such as customers, clients and visitors) at risk of contracting Covid.
The examples on how to protect your staff (mentioned above) also apply here.
Duties to Maintain the Salon and Facilities
Maintain your salon to ensure the work environment is not putting people at risk of contracting Covid.
Maintaining a safe work environment can be uncomplicated. Consider these examples:
- cleaning your salon regularly and thoroughly
- restructuring the layout of the salon to allow for physical distancing, and
- limiting the number of people in the salon at any given time
Provide adequate facilities in the salon to protect your people such as washroom facilities (including adequate supply of soap, water and paper towel), hand sanitiser around the salon and staff rooms that are regularly cleaned and allow for physical distancing.
Duty to provide information, training, instruction and supervision
You must provide your team with any information or training that is necessary to protect them from the risk of exposure to Covid arising from their work.
Information and training may include providing guidance on how to properly wash hands, training workers in how to fit and use any necessary personal protective equipment and training workers to exercise adequate cleaning practices throughout the day.
Duty to consult
Consult with your team members on health and safety matters relating to Covid. When doing this, give them the opportunity to express their views and raise any WHS concerns.
It is good practice to consult in the following circumstances:
- when conducting a risk assessment
- when making decisions on control measures
- when making decisions about the adequacy of the workplace facilities to allow for control measures such as physical distancing and hygiene
- when proposing other changes that may affect the health and safety of others, and
- when changing any procedures that have an impact on the WHS
If you like this blog article, leave us a comment below and share it with your colleagues!
With Love, Ari xx
For more information, please watch this short video applicable to beauty salons.
More resources:
- https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/law-and-regulation/model-whs-laws
- https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/occupational-health-and-safety-your-legal-duties
- https://covid19.swa.gov.au//covid-19-information-workplaces/industry-information/beauty-salons-and-day-spas/duties-under-whs?tab=tab-toc-small_business
