Stay safe with advice from the suzy lamplugh trust

If you are a self employed hairdresser, you are responsible for your personal safety. Thinking about personal safety means thinking in advance about what could happen and how you could deal with it.

Many hairdressers put themeselves at risk on a regular basis, but it is only when something goes wrong that it gets a moment's consideration. Here is Ann Elledge, director of personal safety at the Suzy Lamplugh Trust's, safety advice for self-employed hairdressers.

Assess the risks 

When creating a personal safety policy, consider the following: do you go to strangers' houses? Are you required to work in remote premises? Do you have to carry money or expensive equipment around? Do you have to visit high crime areas? You should then assess the risks involved and find ways to reduce the risks until they are acceptable or decide to eliminate the task altogether. 

Introduce procedures

Think about how you can let someone know where you are going, who you will be meeting and when you expect to finish. Consider keeping a diary /appointments book with this information easily accessible to your family, partner or friends. It would be even better if you could arrange to check in with someone before and after each appointment (a simple text would do) just to let them know that everything is running to plan and that you are safe and well.

Stay alert

When visiting a new client or one you don't know well, stay alert. Take note of your surroundings and the people present, and look out for changes of mood, movements or expressions. Always make it clear that someone knows where you are - it may be a good idea to state that you just need to check in with your friend and make the call in hearing of the client as soon as you arrive.

Prevention and avoidance

No matter how thorough your risk assessments have been and how good your safe practices are, you may still find yourself in an aggressive or violent situation.

Here are some tips for dealing with such an outcome:

• Stay calm; speak gently, slowly and clearly and avoid being enticed into an argument.
• Acknowledge the person's feelings and listen carefully to what they are saying. 
• Avoid aggressive body language: crossed arms, hands on hips, a wagging finger or a raised arm will challenge and confront. Try to avoid looking down on your aggressor and stand at a 45 degree angle instead of squaring up to a person.
• Be aware of personal space and keep a safe distance. It will vary according to the level of threat and the nature of the environment, but usually at least two arms' lengths is best.
• Avoid high-risk, high-gain strategies, for example humour or shouting the other person down.
• Never put a hand on someone who is angry. 
• Control the interaction by asking positive, open questions.
• Most importantly, try not to lose control of yourself, or you will increase the risk significantly.