Nails Bars and beauticians must have correct LEV ventilation when working with acrylic and gel nails. Without it you and your clients and staff may experience respiratory symptoms (cough and chest tightness), dizzy spells, headaches, drowsiness and trembling of the hands. Also dust created when filing nails can increase health risks including CANCER.

Please note: There are increasing numbers of claims against nail salons by clients (and staff) who have developed health problems which they claim were caused by inadequate ventialtion in the salon.

• Provide a good standard of general ventilation, with a through draught.
• Control odour. Provide an extractor hood or a downdraught table.
• You need a downdraught around 1 metre per second into the table; or you need an inlet air speed around 0.5 metres per second into the extractor hood.
• The client’s nails must be over the downdraught or close to the hood.
• Filter air for return to the salon or for discharge outside.
• 1 metre per second downdraught.
• Filtered air returned to workroom or discharged outside.
• Caution: ‘dust masks’ are not acceptable as a control.
  
• Don't store more than 50 litres of flammable liquid indoors. Use a flammables store.

• Assessing and managing risks at work from skin exposure to chemical agents: Guidance for employers and health and safety specialists
• HSG205 HSE Books 2001 ISBN 0 7176 1826 9
• Preventing dermatitis at work: Advice for employers and employees
• Leaflet INDG233 HSE Books 1996 (single copy free or priced packs of 15 ISBN 0 7176 1246 5)
• Preventing asthma at work. How to control respiratory sensitisers
• L55 HSE Books 1994 ISBN 0 7176 0661 9
• Maintenance, examination and testing of local exhaust ventilation
• HSG54 (Second edition) HSE Books 1998 ISBN 0 7176 1485 9
• Posters on protective gloves and skin care see www.hse.gov.uk/skin/information.htm
• Health surveillance for dermatitis see www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/guidance/g403.pdf

• HSE priced and free publications are available from HSE Books:
  Tel: 01787 881165
  Website: www.hsebooks.co.uk.
• For information about health and safety ring HSE’s Infoline:
  Tel: 0845 345 0055 Textphone: 0845 408 9577
  Email: hse.infoline@natbrit.com.
• Contact the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) on 01332 298101 or at www.bohs.org for lists of qualified hygienists who can help you.
• Look in the Yellow Pages under ‘Health and safety consultants’ and ‘Health authorities and services’ for ‘occupational health’.
• Also see www.nhsplus.nhs.uk