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.