An update on Healthy Nail Salons via the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences:

Occupational training is designed to protect workers from hazards in the workplace. Although basic training in chemical safety is required as part of the nail technician curriculum and technicians are required to pass a safety component on the certification licensing exam, nail technicians and salon owners are concerned about the health effects from chemical exposure. And although many of the available materials emphasize the need for using products correctly to reduce exposures, there are no studies that have examined the impact of worker education and training on safety practices and exposure of nail salon workers, which include a large number of immigrants.

The Oregon Collaborative for Healthy Nail Salons was formed in 2007 to create solutions to environmental, health and safety challenges in salons by sharing ideas, knowledge and practical experience. The collaborative included representatives from Oregon OSHA, Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality, the Oregon Health Licensing Agency, the Multnomah County Health Department, and, Oregon Health & Science University (Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, previously CROET, and School of Nursing). Pilot funding from CROET was used to build a partnership between research scientists and key community partners to engage the community of nail salon workers in efforts to identify and evaluate the concerns and perceived needs of the nail salon community and then to develop effective intervention material. The Collaborative partnered with Asian Health and Service Center. As a result of feedback shared by salon workers through this partnership, informational brochures were developed in English and Vietnamese. The Collaborative is not currently active. 

For more information, including brochures and other reports developed through these projects, please click here.