Question

1.Explain your responsibilities under relevant health and safety legislation and the Industry Code of Practice for Nail services

2.Explain how to deal with accidental damage

3.Explain suitable aftercare products and how to apply them

4.Explain the importance of selecting and carrying out the correct removal techniques for the UV gel system

Answer 1

Ans.

1 .

Under the law employers are responsible for health and safety management. ... It is an employer's duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees and other people who might be affected by their business. Employers must do whatever is reasonably practicable to achieve this.

Reasonable care responsibilities for employers include:

• Preventing deaths.
• Preventing injuries.
• Preventing diseases and ill-health.
• Providing a safe place of work.
• Ensuring safe access and egress.
• Providing safe systems of work.
• Providing and maintain safe plant and equipment.

Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) 1974

This Act places a legal duty on employers to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health, safety, and welfare of employees, and to ensure that employees and others are kept safe.

Your employer's duty of care in practice

• make the workplace safe.
• prevent risks to health.
• ensure that plant and machinery is safe to use.
• ensure safe working practices are set up and followed.
• make sure that all materials are handled, stored and used safely.
• provide adequate first aid facilities.

provide a safe place of employment. provide a safe working environment. provide a written safety policy/risk assessment. look after the health and safety of others, for example the public.

Nail Services Code of Practice

Utilising the Nail Services Code of Practice developed in 2007 by Habia, the nail care industry’s regulating board, is not mandatory in the UK. However, it should still be used by every nail service provider. Following the guidelines provided by the Code of Practice can make all the difference between success and failure in the nail care industry.

The Benefits

There are numerous benefits to utilising the Nail Services Code of Practice (NSCP), especially when first starting a nail technician career. The nail care industry is filled with lots of health risks and safety hazards. It’s fairly easy to cause harm to self and others in this field of employment. Ignorance and mistakes can become very costly. It’s frequently difficult to find accurate information regarding the safety of products and treatments. There are already lots of myths, misguided “experts” and misinformation about nail care, despite the industry being a fairly new one.

However, the NSCP provides authoritative, industry-endorsed guidance to nail professionals. It contains information on how to properly clean, utilise, and store equipment and products. The Code of Practice also contains information regarding client consultation and records management. It also includes information on various other topics and issues that are highly essential to the success of a nail service provider. This makes it an excellent educational and training tool for all employees in the nail service industry.

Other reasons to comply with NSCP

There are other reasons to comply with the NSCP too. Many local authorities, as well as most health and environmental safety authorities use the NSCP to set their own standards. Thus, non-compliance could lead to failing a health inspection or to denial of a business license. Most employers will expect their employees to be aware of the Code of Practice and to comply with the professional standards it outlines. In addition, many clients will expect their nail care provider to meet the professional standards outlined in the Nail Service Code of Practice. Nail service providers seeking national qualifications will also be expected to be aware of and comply with the NSCP.

Insurance and the NSCP

Another reason to comply with the NSCP is for insurance purposes. Most insurance premiums are based on how well the various risks are being controlled. Many insurers will utilise the Habia standards as a guideline in assessing the risks involved with insuring a salon or nail technician. Thus, utilising the Nail Service Code of Practice as a risk management tool may possibly help save money, as well as prevent possible financial ruin.

2,

Accidental damage is defined as sudden and unexpected damage to your property or contents by an outside force. For instance, spilling a drink and staining the carpet, or drilling through a pipe. Accidental damage cover is sometimes included in home insurance, but usually it's sold as an optional extra.

However, forgoing accidental damage cover is a good way to reduce your premiums and find cheap home insurance. ... In most cases, accidental damage cover makes more sense for contents policies - you're probably more likely to knock over your TV or spill red wine on your carpet than put a hole in a wall or nail into a pipe.

It typically covers repairs or replacement if an item is broken or accidental damage has occurred. Some pet insurance policies will also cover accidental damage caused by pets. Some insurance providers will accept certain types of pet damage under their accidental damage home insurance cover.

Accidental damage insurance can cover the cost of repairing or replacing your property or contents if they're damaged by a one-off incident. It could cover the cost of replacing your carpet if a tenant spilt wine over it, or the cost of repairing a wall if you damaged it while putting up shelves.

3.

Learn More

GIFT CARDSBOOK NOW

KEY AFTERCARE NAIL PRODUCTS FOR HEALTHY NAILS

Share This

SHARE

Believe it or not having beautiful and healthy nails all year round is not that hard! All you need to do is spend some time caring for your nails apart from applying nail varnish. Rush Beauty Therapist of the Year 2013, Samantha Penn, shares her expertise on some key products to use regularly to take care of your nails.

1. Cuticle Oil

We often neglect our cuticles for our nails, but taking care of your cuticle is VERY important for maintaining strong, healthy nails. Using a cuticle oil is great for hydrating those unsightly dry nail cuticles and promoting strong nail growth.

The Jessica Nails Cuticle Oil is not only a must have product to incorporate into your nail care routine, it is also excellent for elbows, feet, knees and any other rough, dry areas of skin that need deep moisture.

Key ingredients: Vitamin E, Jojoba, Sweet Almond Oil, Rice Oil

Rush Beauty Therapist of the Year 2013 – Samantha Penn Recommends:

Cuticle oil is great for hydrating, nourishing and repairing your nails!

Apply 1 or 2 drops per nail cuticle and gently massage in.

2. Basecoat for normal nails

To avoid having those annoying yellow/red stains on your nails after using a pigmented nail varnish – applying a basecoat is VERY important. The Jessica Reward basecoat is also amazing for treating your nails daily as it is vitamin enriched for healthy strong nails!

Key ingredients: Vitamins A,C,D and E, Calcium, Aloe Vera

Rush Beauty Therapist of the Year 2013 – Samantha Penn Recommends:

Using a basecoat is important for protecting your nail bed. We use this before applying nail varnish for all of our clients as it also helps your nail colour last longer. Apply on nails every time you use nail varnish.

If you are not wearing coloured nail varnish, use to protect your nailsa nd reapply every 4 days.

4 .

One of the biggest nail myths is that ‘nails need to breathe’. Nails are made up of several layers of dead, compacted cells and do not have the capability to breathe or absorb oxygen into the nail plate. All the nutrients that the nail needs are absorbed through the bloodstream and not from any outside elements.

Another common myth is that enhancements should be soaked off occasionally to ‘give them a break’. Nothing is gained by removing nail enhancements for a few weeks or months before reapplying them. Since the nails do not need to ‘breathe’, no benefit is gained by waiting to reapply nail enhancements, which includes nail polish. Nor does it make sense to assume the nails only need to breathe every once in a while.

Providing the nail technician is performing correct and professional procedures, along with using good quality products, there is no need to remove enhancements.

We’ve had many clients claiming that enhancements ruined their nails – yet when questioned, it turns out they had picked them off! Any damage to the natural nail is usually the result of improper application or removal, overly aggressive filing or client abuse such as picking or biting. When both L&P and gel enhancements are applied, maintained and removed correctly, no damage should occur.

Improper removal of nail enhancements is a major cause for natural nail damage as these are not gentle or correct techniques. When the nail is picked, prised or pulled off, it will rip up layers of the natural nail plate. You must ensure that your client returns for correct removal from you and if they really cannot get to you, you must provide them with correct and professional instructions for safe removal to prevent them from damaging their nails.

Removal of L&P enhancements

Correct removal for L&P enhancements requires soaking the enhancement with acetone. There are two ways of soaking the enhancements with acetone: the ‘bowl’ method or ‘foil wrap’ method. The acetone swells the polymer network until it breaks into chunks, and the polymers will swell faster if the acetone is slightly warm.

You must ensure that the acetone is never hot as this can cause an adverse reaction or burn the client. The process has a similar effect to when a roll of kitchen towel is put into water – if you poke it with a stick then it will break up even quicker.

To speed up the removal process, every 10 minutes you can gently use a cuticle tool to remove already dissolved product and gently buff. Do not be tempted to press too hard when doing this or forcing the undissolved product off, otherwise you will cause natural nail damage.

Removal of hard gel enhancements

Correct removal for hard gel nails is generally to gently buff off – hard gel will not soak off in acetone, however soak off gel polish or gels can be removed with acetone. The reason for this is that the urethane acrylate oligomers chosen to create hard gels had a tight molecular structure, resulting in a lower molecular weight. This makes them highly resistant to solvents such as acetone.

Soak off gels such as gel polishes have been specially formulated to have a higher molecular weight, therefore allowing them to soak off with acetone. Gel polish and soak off gels can be removed with the foil wrap or bowl soak off methods however I prefer the foil wrap method as I find it helps to speed up the removal process without the risk of spillages and product waste.

Top tips for removing enhancements

1. Remove surface shine on the nail enhancement with a 150-grit nail file. Many gel top coats are acetone resistant and will not allow the solvent to penetrate.

2. Leave the nails in the acetone for 30-45 minutes. The nails must not be removed from the acetone, so check the client keeps them submerged in the bowl or correctly wrapped in foil because if they are removed, the product sets again and will extend the removal time.

3. Always remember chemical health and safety when it comes to dealing with solvents; this includes the warming process and disposal techniques.

4. Once you have gently removed the enhancement, perform a mini manicure to condition and rehydrate the client’s nails and hands and advise them of the correct aftercare.