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The Boston Public Health Commission Certificate of Appreciation is hereby granted to In recognition and appreciation of your good work to make your nail salon a better and safer place to work by participating in Safe Nail Training Program Granted: March 08, 2008 Tiffany Skogstrom, Program Coordinator of Safe Nail Salons Program The Boston Public Health Commission’s Safe Nail Salon Project hereby certifies that is a Safe Nail Salon Partner for having completed training on environmental health and safety practices and making a commitment to ensure the health of its staff and community. Granted: May 05, 2008 _______________________________________________ Tiffany Skogstrom, Program Coordinator, Safe Nail Salon Project Boston Public Health Commission Mayor Thomas M. Menino

What is the Safe Nail Salons Project? Reducing Waste Saving Money Improving Air Quality and Ventilation Free Training for Workers and Owners Health Care Access New and Safer Equipment and Work Practices Reducing Pollution

Goals of Training Recognize Work Place Hazards Protect Your Health Make Salon Improvements to Eliminate Hazards Teach Proper Use and Storage of Hazardous Chemicals

Can you think of any hazards or dangerous things for your health at your work?

Some Work Exposures May Include Alcohol Acetone Lacquers Aerosol spray Liquid - Acrylic and Porcelain Artificial Nails

Chemical Exposures Include: Acetone ( Nail Polish Remover ) Ethyl Cyanoacrylate ( Glue for Nail Tips ) Methacrylic Acid ( Acrylic Primer ) Methyl Methacrylate, MMA / Ethyl Methacrylate, EMA ( Liquid and Powder for Acrylic Nails ) Methyl Ethyl Ketone ( In Some Products ) Phthalates and Toluene ( Nail Polish ) Formaldehyde (Nail Hardener)

How Do These Things Get Into My Body?

Breathing

Improve the Air in Your Salon Increase Ventilation: Open Windows. Keep fans blowing and increase air from the outside. Close the lid on Containers: When you are not using a chemical, make sure the lid is closed. This will prevent the chemical from getting into the air. Keep Trash in a lidded container: Seal all saturated cotton balls or trash in a plastic bag. Keep the lid on trash to keep the chemicals out of the air.

Protect Your Lungs! N-95 Dust Mask: May protect you from some dusts, but will NOT protect you from chemicals. N-95 With Odor Control Mask: Will protect you from dust, odors and absorb SOME harmful chemicals. Exhaling valve makes it easier to breathe. Air Purifying Respirator: Only mask that will protect you from chemicals.

Skin Exposure

Protect Your Hands Use Nitrile Gloves: These are the blue or purple gloves that will protect you from chemicals. Avoid Latex Gloves: These are the white gloves that are used in hospitals. They will not protect you from chemicals and some people are severely allergic to latex. Cover and Protect Cuts: Make sure any cuts or scrapes are covered, kept away from chemicals and kept clean.

Ingestion / Swallowing

Always Wash Your Hands Before Eating, Smoking or Drinking

Metal Tools:  Scrub with detergent.  Soak 10 minutes in hospital-grade disinfectant (10% bleach) or scrub & sterilize in steam sterilizer.  Rinse & dry.  Store in clean container.  Wash client treatment areas with hospital-grade disinfectant (10% bleach) Disinfecting

The UV Light Box Should only be used to Store Already Sterilized Metal Tools.

Can’t be Disinfected? Throw it Away! Throw away non-metal tools after each customer:  Nail files/Emory Boards  Buffers  Buffing discs on electric files  Wood cuticle sticks  Toe separators (use paper separators) Save money by cutting buffers in ½.

What Conditions Make the Customer More Susceptible to All Infections? Using illegal tools – skin grater and credo blades. –They can cut and injure the skin. –These are banned by MA Board of Cosmetology

Eyes

Protect Your Eyes Avoid Touching Your Eyes: You are working with chemicals all day. Do not touch or rub your eyes. Install an Emergency Eyewash Station: These could be small personal bottles or larger devices to help flush chemicals or dust from the eyes. Follow Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) Instructions: An MSDS is a sheet of paper supplied by the vendor that tells you what to do when you are exposed to a product.

Section 1: Chemical Product and Company Identification. Names the material and provides a mailing address and telephone number for the manufacturer/distributor (useful in case of an emergency). Section 3: Hazards Identification. How the chemical enters the body (such as inhaling, swallowing or through the skin) and what health problems it could cause.

Section 4: First Aid Measures. Includes emergency and first aid procedures.

Section 7: Handling and Storage. Explains how to properly handle and store the chemical. Section 8: Exposure Controls, Personal Protection. Describes how to maintain proper ventilation and recommends appropriate personal protective equipment, such as respirators, safety eye gear, gloves, and other protective clothing.

Protecting Reproductive Health

Protecting Your Brain and Central Nervous System

Simple Changes in Your Every Day Work Practice Protect your health by using correct Personal Protective Equipment (Gloves and Masks) Open the windows to get fresh outdoor air to come in Use a metal can with self-closing lid and change garbage bags daily Choose safer products that do not contain Toluene, Formaldehyde or Phthalates Always keep containers closed and make sure lids are tightly sealed when they are not in use

Make Changes in Your Salon Improve your ventilation system. This will make a more pleasant environment for your customers and a safer work place for your workers. Talk with your vendors about purchasing safer and odorless products. Install a down draft table that will keep dust away from your customers and workers. Use a vacuum nail file that will keep acrylic dust out of the air and lungs of the workers and customers.

Acknowledgements We would like to give special thanks to the following individuals and organizations who provided hand outs and information for our project: Viet-AID Cora Roelofs, ScD., Department of Work Environment, University of Massachusetts Lowell The Asian Law Caucus / UCSF COPH – Street Level The Divisions of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and Human Genetics of the University of Connecticut Health Center

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