COSHH in a nail salon means the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 applied to the liquids, powders and dust a nail station produces - above all acrylic monomer. The regulations require an employer to ensure that exposure is prevented or, where that is not reasonably practicable, adequately controlled. Ravair supplies fume and monomer extraction to UK salons, and this guide explains what COSHH asks of you in plain English, using the HSE's own nail bar guidance as the reference.
The one document to read: HSE COSHH Essentials sheet SR13, Nail bars and other beauty services. Following it is not compulsory, but HSE says that if you do "you will normally be doing enough to comply with the law," and that inspectors "may refer to this guidance."
What is COSHH, in one paragraph?
COSHH is the set of UK regulations that governs hazardous substances at work. Its central duty is short: exposure must be prevented or, where prevention is not reasonably practicable, adequately controlled. Everything else - the assessment, the controls, the maintenance, the training, the health surveillance - is the machinery for meeting that one duty. It applies to a nail bar in the same way it applies to a paint shop or a laboratory, because the substances at a nail desk are hazardous to health in the legal sense.
Two other points are worth knowing. COSHH is about the employer's duty to workers, so a salon owner with staff carries it; a self-employed technician working alone carries a duty to themselves and their clients. And "adequately controlled" is judged against good practice, which for nail bars HSE has written down in SR13.
Why is acrylic monomer a COSHH substance?
Because HSE says it can harm you in three ways. SR13 states that acrylic liquid and powder systems "can cause dermatitis and may be flammable," and that acrylic vapour "can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea and irritation." Add the dust from filing the cured acrylic, which "can cause respiratory problems such as wheezing, chest tightness and asthma," and a single enhancement service produces a skin hazard, a vapour hazard and a dust hazard.
Acrylic monomer is the liquid that reacts with the powder to build the nail. It evaporates from the dappen dish and from the wet bead as it is worked, which is why the smell is strongest at the desk and why an open window at the far end of the room does little about it. The vapour is produced continuously for as long as the dish is open.
A word on MMA. Methyl methacrylate monomer is often discussed in the trade; HSE's SR13 sheet does not address it by name, and we make no claim here about its legal status in the UK. What COSHH asks is the same for any monomer you use: read the label and the safety data sheet, assess it, control it.
What does a COSHH assessment for a nail salon involve?
A COSHH assessment is a written record of which hazardous substances are used, how people are exposed, what controls are in place and whether they are enough. For a nail bar it means listing the products on the shelf - monomers, powders, primers, solvents, gels, removers - reading their labels and safety data sheets, and writing down how each is handled and what protects the technician and the client.
SR13 is designed to make this practical. It says it "will help you carry out COSHH assessments, review existing assessments, deliver training, and supervise activities involving substances hazardous to health." Work through its checklist headings - access, equipment and procedures, PPE, skin care, maintenance, cleaning, health surveillance, training - and record what your salon does under each.
One label test matters more than the rest: if any product carries the phrase "May cause sensitisation by skin contact" or "May cause sensitisation by inhalation," SR13 says employers are required to carry out health surveillance and should consult an occupational health professional. Check your bottles for those words today.
What controls does HSE expect at the desk?
Engineering control first. SR13 is HSE's "control approach 2" sheet, and its first equipment instruction is: "Provide local exhaust ventilation (LEV) in the form of a downdraught table or a movable hood," with nails "over the downdraught or as close to the extraction hood as possible." For monomer that means the dappen dish and the working hand sit where the extraction draws, so vapour is captured as it forms.
Then the housekeeping controls that cost nothing: "Put caps back on containers immediately after use and wipe the outside clean." Buy products ready for use where possible. Store only what you need, in a cool, dry, dark, ventilated place. Dispose of contaminated wipes and files in a lined, lidded bin. Provide general ventilation - SR13 suggests powered wall- or window-mounted fans - as the second line behind extraction at the desk.
Extracted air must go somewhere sensible: "discharged to a safe place outside the building" or "correctly filtered before being returned." For monomer vapour, correct filtering means activated carbon, which holds vapour and odour; a particulate filter alone lets it straight through. Our fume and monomer extractors are built around a carbon stage for this reason - see how monomer extraction works.
What about masks, gloves and skin care?
SR13 says respiratory protective equipment "is not normally needed" - the extraction is meant to do that job - and it is explicit that face coverings "are not acceptable as a control measure" for nail bar dust and odours. Gloves and eye protection are a different matter: the sheet asks for them when topping up bottles and when filing, with single-use nitrile gloves acceptable and disposed of every time they come off.
Skin care is written into the guidance because dermatitis is one of the two health outcomes it is watching. Wash off splashes immediately, provide warm water and mild cleansers, use pre-work and after-work creams - with SR13's caution that creams "are not a substitute for gloves and do not provide a full barrier." Training should cover how to recognise the early signs of asthma and dermatitis, when and how to use the controls, and what to do if something goes wrong.
What records and checks does COSHH require of extraction?
This is the part most salons miss. Local exhaust ventilation carries a statutory duty: SR13 says LEV systems "require a statutory 'thorough examination and test' (TExT)," performed by a competent person "at least once every 14 months," with actions arising carried out and an employer record kept "for at least five years." HSE's detailed guidance on LEV is HSG258.
Alongside that, keep the everyday record: check equipment for damage before work, maintain it as the manufacturer advises, and use a log book for filter changes. A carbon filter that has loaded up is not controlling vapour, however normal the unit sounds, and the log is how you show an inspector that filters are changed on schedule rather than when the smell comes back. We keep replacement filters and carbon refills for every unit we supply in stock, because a control you cannot maintain is not a control.
We supply the equipment and can explain what the guidance asks of it. The assessment, the thorough examination and the health surveillance are the salon owner's duties, carried out with the competent and occupational health professionals HSE describes. For the health background, read what nail dust and vapour do to a technician's lungs and skin.
Frequently asked questions
Does COSHH apply to a small nail salon?
Yes. COSHH applies wherever hazardous substances are used at work, regardless of size. HSE's SR13 sheet is written for nail bars specifically and is the practical guide to what adequate control looks like.
Do I need a COSHH assessment if I only use gel?
Filing gel still creates dust, which SR13 says can cause wheezing, chest tightness and asthma, and gel products carry their own labels. Assess what you use; the assessment may be shorter, but it is still required.
Is a mask enough to control monomer vapour?
No. HSE says respiratory protective equipment is not normally needed where extraction is in place and that face coverings are not acceptable as a control measure. The expected control is local exhaust ventilation at the desk with correctly filtered or externally discharged air.
How often must salon extraction be examined?
HSE states that LEV needs a statutory thorough examination and test by a competent person at least once every 14 months, with records kept for at least five years, in addition to daily checks and manufacturer-scheduled filter changes.
Which products trigger health surveillance?
Any labelled "May cause sensitisation by skin contact" or "May cause sensitisation by inhalation"; SR13 says surveillance is then required and an occupational health professional should be consulted.
This guide is general information, not health and safety or legal advice. HSE guidance and regulations can change; check the current guidance and take advice from a competent person on your own premises.
See the fume and monomer extractors we supply, or call 01892 750777 and describe your stations; we will say what suits them and what does not.
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