What does a nail salon technician do? Nail technicians provide manicures, pedicures, and various nail treatments based on clients' nail care needs and preferences.
Nail technicians provide manicures, pedicures, and various nail treatments based on clients' nail care needs and preferences. These trained professionals perform the manicures over the workstation or “nail table” with the client's hands or feet resting on the surface as they work.
Their general tasks may include the following:
duty Talk to clients about their requirements and provide advice on proper nail care treatments.
duty Provide manicures and pedicures, including cleaning, filing, applying artificial nails, removing old nail polish, and applying new polish.
duty Providing hand and foot massages.
duty Sanitize all nail instruments and equipment before each use.
duty Make sure that work areas are kept clean and tidy.
duty Perform reception duties such as answering telephone calls and making appointments.
duty Operate a cash register and computer and sell retail products.
duty Be aware of customer actions while on the premises (e.g., be alert to potential issues such as workplace violence or acts of theft).
Potential health and safety hazards associated with nail technician's duties, include:
Biological hazards
Chemical hazards
Ergonomic hazards
Physical hazards
Psychosocial hazards
Safety hazards
biological Risk of exposure to blood and exposed fungal infections from infected clients, or instruments that have not been properly cleaned.
biological Risk of biological hazards such as bacterial, fungi, viruses and other infectious agents such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
general Long-term and short-term exposure to high concentration of hazardous nail products such as polishes, strengtheners, removers, and artificial nail liquids. Exposure to products may be more significant if there is poor ventilation.
general Skin and respiratory disorders from allergenic or irritating products.
general Sitting for long hours.
ergonomic Working in awkward postures or performing repetitive tasks.
ergonomic Inadequate lighting (glare, low levels, etc.) can cause workers to adopt awkward postures.
ergonomic Repetitive strain injury.
psychosocial Fatigue and other health problems from long hours of work.
psychosocial Stress.
physical Noise from equipment or customers may be distracting, and in some cases very loud.
psychosocial Exposure to workplace violence.
psychosocial Working alone
psychosocial Stress
safety Electrical hazards
safety Fire hazards
safety Slips, Trips, and Fall
Nail products such as polishes, strengtheners, removers, and artificial nail liquids may contain ingredients which can be harmful to your health.
Main routes of exposures to chemicals include:
Examples of hazardous ingredients include:
chemical Inhalation: breathing vapours, dusts, or mists from the products
general Contact: absorbs through your skin or gets into your eyes
general Ingestion: accidentally swallowing the product while eating, smoking or drinking.
Biological hazards
Chemical hazards
Ergonomics
Physical hazards
Psychological Hazards
Safety hazards
Personal Protective equipment
requirement Wash hands regularly especially before and after working with clients to prevent infection.
requirement Moisturize your hands regularly.
ppe Treat all body substances such as blood as potentially infectious – always wear gloves.
requirement Consider getting immunized against infectious diseases, such as influenza and hepatitis B.
requirement There may be situations where public health measures must be followed, such as during the covid-19 pandemic, stay at least 6 feet away from clients and coworkers when possible.
requirement Replace products with ingredients of concern with a less harmful product where possible.
requirement Safely use, store, and dispose of products.
requirement Cap or close containers when not in use.
engineering Use a ventilated worktable or local exhaust ventilation where there is a risk of exposure to fumes from polishing, gluing, and disinfecting.
requirement The worktable should be a surface that will not absorb hazardous products, preferably a surface that can be easily wiped clean.
requirement Maintain good lighting levels.
administrative Know about the products you use. Educate and train workers in WHMIS and safe use, handling, and storage of hazardous products.
requirement Have safety data sheets readily available to workers.
requirement Read manufacturer's instructions on how to use appliances and products safely.
requirement Determine which products contain hazardous ingredients and make sure they are labelled correctly.
requirement Use adjustable furniture and workstations where possible to help reduce the need for awkward body positions.
requirement Rearrange the work area so that the task, materials, equipment, and controls are within easy reach and do not require stretching or twisting
requirement Practice good manual material handling/ lifting.
requirement Keep equipment in good working order to reduce the level of noise in the salon
requirement Consider how loud equipment may be when purchasing.
requirement Have good job design for a balanced workload.
requirement Treat all employees in a fair and respectful manner.
requirement Involve employees in decision-making and allow for their input directly or through committees, etc.
requirement Take steps to help others and positive mental health promotion.
requirement Have a plan to protect employees in the event of a robbery or other acts of violence.
administrative Inspect tools and equipment and make sure they are in good condition.
requirement Clean and disinfect all equipment used with clients after each use.
requirement Store tools in ultraviolet (UV) sanitizing boxes.
requirement Make sure all sharp equipment is disposed of in a safe manner.
requirement Always keep the floor clean and dry.
requirement Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces.
ppe Wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), including appropriate respirators, masks, eye protection, and gloves.
ppe Treat all body substances such as blood and bodily fluids as potentially infectious – always wear clean gloves and dispose them safely after use.
Below are tips that will help nail salons improve the working conditions.
engineering Reduce exposures to hazardous products by purchasing alternative products and by using appropriate ventilation.
ppe Use appropriate respirators to protect employees from harmful gases, vapours, or dusts, as necessary.
ppe Use appropriate type of gloves. Make sure equipment such as gloves are made of the correct material for the chemical or product you are working with. There is not one material that will protect from all types of chemicals or products.
requirement Store products in small bottles with small openings and label them with the information from the manufacturer's label.
requirement Use metal bins with tight, self-closing lids to keep the product that is on a soaked cotton ball from evaporating and entering the air.
requirement Use ergonomic furniture that is adjusted for each worker, such as adjustable manicure and pedicure chairs, and tools to reduce musculoskeletal hazards.
administrative Train employees on proper ergonomic postures during nail services.
requirement Do not provide nail services for a client who has signs of nail infection but rather advise the client to see their health care provider for assessment and treatment.
ppe Practice good hand hygiene before and after each client, before and after wearing gloves, and in between breaks in service.
requirement Ask clients to also wash their hands thoroughly and dry them before nail treatments.
requirement Pedicure blades (credo blades) should be used only once then discarded safely into an approved sharps container.
requirement Single-use tools such as pumice stones, toe separators, emery boards for nail filing should be used once and discarded or given to the client for personal use.
ppe Multi-use tools such as nail cutters, cuticle pusher, or cuticle nipper must be cleaned with soap and warm water using a scrub brush and then disinfected after each client.
requirement Avoid “double dipping” when using creams or oils. These items should be used in a way that prevents cross contamination.
requirement Record if there has been an incident involving blood or bodily fluid exposure and keep this record at the salon. Follow any requirements necessary for your jurisdiction.
requirement Follow electrical safety measures.
requirement Learn about fire safety, including fire extinguishers.
requirement Learn about chemical hazards, WHMIS and SDSs.
requirement Learn how to clean equipment and tools properly.
requirement Know first aid.
requirement Follow company safety rules.
administrative Know how to report hazards to your employer.
general Know how to report injury to the Workers' Compensation Board.
requirement Fact sheet first published: 2021-01-25
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