Brussels, 04/05/2012 (Agence Europe) - Employers and trade unions in the European hairdressing industry signed a new agreement at the end of last month to improve health and safety at work.
The agreement will shortly be submitted to the EU Council of Ministers by the European Commission. It is the brainchild of the Uni Europa Hair & Beauty trade union, representing nearly a million hairdressers, and representatives of hairdresser employers, Coiffure EU. The social partners are suggesting a series of measures to reduce the health risks for hairdressers by encouraging the use of equipment to protect hair and lungs from the toxicity of hairdryers and other products, and introducing rules to ensure hairdressers have enough space in which to work and proper ventilation.
Hairdressers will be banned from wearing high heels at work, along with rings, bracelets and any other type of jewellery on their hands and lower arms, which can be unhygienic and encourage disease due to humidity and chemicals.
It is believed that the measures will be low-cost. The social partners want all the 400,000 hairdressing salons in the European Union to apply them, saying the measures will cost less than 1% of the annual turnover of an average salon (employing up to three hairdressers). (JK/transl.fl)