Occupational health hazards among employees of registered hair salons in Windhoek
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Date
2007
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Abstract
A hair salon is a shop where a person can have hair cut and styled in order to look more attractive. The employees in the hair salons are exposed to many irritative and allergenic substances, which may cause health problems. This study was conducted to assess the occupational health risks among various employees in hair salons in Windhoek. The main purpose of the study was to determine and describe health problems among employees in Windhoek hair salons, in order to provide important information to national health services, municipality, owners and workers of the hair salons to enable them to introduce protective measures related to occupational health and safety in hair salons.
The study design was a descriptive cross-sectional survey. Thirty-one hair salons with the total number of 128 employees, were included in the study. A questionnaire and checklist were used as the data collection instrument. A pilot study was also conducted in Mariental to test the practical aspects of the actual research study. The results indicated that the prevalence of musculo-skeletal symptoms such as: hand, back, neck, upper body and lower body pain are common among the employees in hair salons. Other health problems due to chemical exposure such as: skin damage/irritation, allergic reactions and eye irritation are also common in hair salons. It appears that most of the health problems related to respiratory symptoms is not caused by smoking, because health problems appear to be high among non-smokers. There was an increase in health problems with duration of employment. The employees mostly used aprons, latex or rubber gloves as protective measures. All products listed in annexure 2, except henna are widely used in hair salons. The workplace environment should be optimized to make the environment as safe as possible. Employees should be kept aware of occupational hazards through continuous training and education of good work practices and procedures, and of the potential hazards related to product use, such as dermatitis, eye irritation and respiratory complaints.
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Keywords
Hairdressing, Health aspects