Dubai: With Eid just around the corner, beauty salons and hairstyling salons are expecting a rush of customers booking appointments for their cuts, trims and dyes.
But the next time you visit your regular salon, pay attention as to whether staff are carrying out the necessary hygiene precautions. You might be in for a surprise.
There are currently 3,200 salons registered with Dubai Municipality but almost half of them were slapped with fines from January until May 2016.
“Since January, there were 1,241 men and women’s salons that were fined for not adhering to hygienic practices. This amounted to Dh1.1 million in fines,” said Marwan Al Mohammad, director of Health and Safety Department at Dubai Municipality.
The main violations included the failure to sterilise tools, absence or reuse of disposable items, and poor hygiene standards.
To curb the number of salons flouting the municipality’s health and safety rules, authorities have announced the launch of an awareness campaign.
The ‘Be Aware’ campaign is running from July 26 to July 2, which is when authorities expect the number of customers to soar in the run-up to Eid.
“The campaign targets salon owners as well, since they have to be aware of the safety and health requirements. And it is their responsibility to inform staff about the regulations and to ensure that they are carrying them out,” said Al Mohammad.
Throughout the campaign, municipal inspectors will be targeting salons in Deira and Bur Dubai, in addition to those found in shopping malls and co-ops.
Al Mohammad added that municipal officials will also be distributing leaflets to shoppers in malls on a daily basis from 9am to 11am to inform residents about their consumer rights and the importance of using disposable tools in salons.
Customers who witness unhygienic practices in Dubai’s salons are urged to contact the municipality’s hotline immediately at 800900.
Checklist for salons
Was the salon generally neat and clean?
Did the technician/therapist wash or sanitise hands before catering to a customer?
Were hand sanitisers available in the bathrooms or toilets?
Were towels in the bathrooms and treatment rooms clean and neatly displayed?
Were products in the treatment rooms clean and packaging in good condition?
If gowns or slippers were provided, were they clean and in good condition?
Source: Mystery Shopper Checklist
