Common Causes Of Hair Salon Injuries

You don't expect to be injured when you go to a hair salon, but accidents do happen. Just like for other businesses, you can lodge a personal injury claim if a salon's negligence causes you injuries. Injuries in salons tend to take different forms such as:

Chemical Burns

It's not surprising that chemical burns are some of the most common salon injuries. Fortunately, most of them are minor burns that people get over easily without much fuss. However, it is also possible to be seriously burnt to the point where you have to seek expensive medical treatment. In fact, some people have even lost their hairs permanently due to chemical burns.

Such serious burns can be caused by different things such as:

  • Use of expired chemicals
  • Improper mixing of chemicals (perhaps due to the beautician's lack of training)
  • Use of the wrong chemicals due to mix-ups
  • Use of the wrong chemical for a particular skin type

Apart from the scalp, other areas of the body that may suffer chemical burns include the neck, back and face. The burns may leave you with serious scars in those areas.

Burns from Hot Tools

It's not just chemicals that can burn you in a salon; even hot tools such as hair dryers and curling irons can cause burns if they:

  • come into contact with the wrong part of the body
  • generate more heat than required
  • are used for a longer time than they should be

Burns are even more likely considering that most of these hot tools, such as hair straighteners, hold considerable heat minutes after they have been turned off.

Cuts

There are also risks of cuts from sharp instruments and tools such as clippers, scissors and razors. For example, a straight razor carelessly left on the floor can cut your toes seriously. Even a pair of scissors carelessly stored in an overhead cabin can fall and cause you serious injuries.

Electrical Shocks

Many salon operations rely on electricity. From curling irons to hair dryers, there is a risk of getting electrocuted if an attendant uses a damaged appliance on you or stores it carelessly. For example, many hair dryers are protected with ground -fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) that cuts the power immediately if there is a fault. However, the dryer can cause a nasty electrical shock if a fault occurs when the GFCI is damaged.

Infections

There is also the risk of infection from improperly sterilized instruments. Things like scissors, combs and razors should either be disposed of (if they are of the disposable variety) or thoroughly cleaned and sterilized after each use. Failure to do that is a clear sign of negligence from the salon operator.

Note that the salon may not be the only party liable for your injuries. For example, burns caused by a faulty hair dryer may be treated as a defective product liability, which means the manufacturer and retailer may be liable for the injuries.

Therefore, you need to know what caused the injury before you can determine liability. This is even more important considering that the more defendants you name in your claim, the higher your chances of getting the settlement you deserve. A consultation with an experienced injury attorney like Gregory V Sharkey Attorney can help you to identify all the responsible parties.


Share