14.1 Safe Usage and Safety Devices

The Oregon Barbering Examination Information Bulletin (revised October 25, 2019) scores Safety and Infection Control as 6 of 100 theory items (6 percent). Two of those six are Safe Usage and Devices. The other four are federal standards, covered in the next section. Six items look small next to Barbering Services (42). They are not small in Salem. The same habits reappear on the 90-question Oregon Laws and Rules Examination, where Facility Standards is 35 items and Chemicals is 8. A candidate who treats “don’t leave the iron on” as shop folklore and then misses Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR) 817-010-0008 is studying the wrong exam.

The Health Licensing Office (HLO) draws theory from Milady's Standard Professional Barbering, 5th Edition (2011) and Pivot Point Barbering Fundamentals, 1st Edition (2018). Oregon then maps those textbook devices onto OAR Chapter 817: how you wash, glove, and dispose of a used blade. OAR 817-010-0007 is the hinge. Authorization holders must observe the Department of Human Services, the Oregon Health Authority, and all other applicable city, county, state, and federal regulations. Board infection-control rules sit on top of that layer, not instead of it.

Why safe usage scores on both papers

You are not tested so you can quote an electrical code from memory. You are tested so you can pick a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) at a wet station, a labeled sharps container after a nick, and a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) before you mix disinfectant. A frayed clipper cord, an unattended thermal iron, and a used blade in a coffee cup are the same class of miss: a safety device was available and was not used.

Wet stations, GFCI, and clipper cords

Water and electricity share the Oregon shop: shampoo bowls, wash basins, clippers, trimmers, and thermal tools. A GFCI outlet interrupts current when it detects a leak to ground. Use GFCI protection at stations near water. Do not plug a clipper into a damaged outlet and “just be careful.”

Inspect clipper cords and trimmer cords before each client: no frayed insulation, no exposed copper, no cracked strain relief, no tape over a nick. Unplug by the plug, not by yanking the cord. Keep cords off wet floors and out of the bowl. OAR 817-010-0014 requires an adequate, immediate supply of hot and cold running water and wash basins on the facility premises and in any work area where hazardous materials are in use. A restroom sink is not the facility water source for barbering. OAR 817-010-0101 requires equipment to be clean and in good repair. A frayed cord is not in good repair. OAR 817-010-0065 requires appliances to be used as the manufacturer intended and to meet all product-registration rules of any federal, state, or local authority.

Hot tools, fire, and ventilation

Do not leave a thermal iron, hood dryer, or hot-lather machine unattended. Set hot tools on a heat-resistant rest. Unplug at closing. Keep a charged fire extinguisher accessible and know the exit path. OAR 817-010-0007 pulls in fire and building codes the Board does not reprint. Chemical waste and chemically damp linens go in a fire-retardant container — an airtight metal container defined in OAR 817-005-0005 — not a plastic trash can.

Adequate ventilation under OAR 817-005-0005 means ventilation by natural or mechanical methods that removes or exhausts fumes, vapors, or dust to prevent hazardous conditions in accordance with OAR Chapter 437, Division 2, or that allows free flow of air in a room in proportion to the size and capacity of the room. Mix chemicals in a dispensing area with adequate ventilation, away from open flame (OAR 817-060-0030). If the shop uses products that can injure eyes, keep an eye-wash capability at the chemical area. Oregon does not invent a separate barber eye-wash rule number; the duty comes through manufacturer instructions, SDS first-aid sections, and the applicable Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division (OR-OSHA) rules that OAR 817-010-0007 already requires you to observe.

SDS, labels, and patch tests

An SDS (older texts still say Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS); OAR 817-060-0030 still uses the MSDS wording) is the manufacturer’s written hazard sheet: ingredients, first aid, fire, spill, and personal protective equipment. Keep current SDS files for disinfectants, cleaners, and any chemical product used in the field of practice, and keep original labels on containers. Do not pour high-level disinfectant into an unlabeled water bottle.

A patch test (predisposition test) is a textbook safety device for a product that may cause allergic reaction. Apply a small amount to a clean area behind the ear or on the inner elbow, wait the time the manufacturer specifies — commonly 24 to 48 hours in barbering texts — and look for redness, swelling, or itching before using that product on the face or scalp. Oregon barbering is cosmetic, not a medical treatment (Oregon Revised Statute (ORS) 690.005(2)). A patch test is not a diagnosis. A positive reaction is a stop-and-refer moment, not a reason to “try a little on the neck anyway.”

Razor guards versus an exposed blade

A razor guard (shaper guard, comb attachment, or guarded finishing razor) is a safety device. It reduces the chance of an accidental nick compared with a fully exposed blade. It does not turn a used razor into a comb. OAR 817-005-0005 still classifies razors as sharp edged or pointed, non-electrical tools. After the client, a reusable guarded razor is cleaned, rinsed, and immersed in high-level disinfectant — a chemical that is Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered and tuberculocidal. A used changeable blade is discarded. A guard is not a substitute for hand washing, gloves, or a sharps container.

First aid for nicks and blood exposure

A nick during a close shave or clipper outline is a blood exposure. Textbook first aid is stop, glove, apply pressure with a clean dressing, use antiseptic as directed, and do not continue over an open bleed. Oregon then names the shop steps:

1. Stop the service. Put on single-use disposable protective gloves.
2. Control bleeding. Do not double-dip a styptic into a community jar after it has touched blood.
3. Disinfect every blood-contaminated surface with high-level disinfectant per the manufacturer’s instructions (OAR 817-010-0101(4)).
4. Place blood-soiled waste in a glove or plastic bag, then in a covered, lined container immediately after the service (OAR 817-010-0060(5)).
5. Put disposable sharp items that contacted blood into a puncture-resistant, leak-proof, closable sharps container labeled with the biohazard symbol (OAR 817-010-0060(6)). Sealable plastic bags and biohazard labels must be on the premises whenever services are performed (OAR 817-010-0060(7)).
6. Wash thoroughly before and after the client (OAR 817-010-0008).

Do not pocket a used blade. Do not drop bloody gauze into an open reception trash can.

Oregon servicing clients: wash, gloves, eyes and mask

OAR 817-010-0008 is four sentences. Learn them as written:

1. Perform thorough hand washing with soap and water or an alternative (gel, aerosol spray, foam, or packaged hand wipes) immediately before and after serving each client to prevent cross contamination and exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials (OPIM).
2. Wear single-use disposable protective gloves when performing a service or procedure that routinely involves exposure to blood or OPIM.
3. Wear eye goggles, shields, or a mask if spattering is likely while services are performed.
4. Dispose of refuse and waste that contact blood or OPIM under OAR 817-010-0060.

Reusable gloves, if used, are cleaned with soap and water and disinfected after each use; disposable gloves are discarded immediately (OAR 817-010-0068(12)). “I washed this morning” is not before-and-after. A fade without routine blood is not permission to skip washing. A neck shave that nicks is a blood event: glove, high-level the surface, and place the blade in the labeled container.

Field-of-practice renewals on or after July 1, 2025 require attestation of current bloodborne pathogens (BBP) training under OAR 817-008-0000 and Senate Bill 217. HLO’s Board of Cosmetology FAQ (revised April 2, 2026) states BBP certifications are valid for one year and must be taken each year. Attest at renewal; do not mail the card. Keep documentation five years. If audited, produce it within 30 calendar days.

A Medford nick and a coffee-cup blade

Dani, a certificate holder in Medford, nicks a client on the sideburn during a close shave, wipes the blade on a towel, drops the used changeable blade into a paper coffee cup at the station, and finishes the outline without gloves. That sequence fails both papers. First aid required stopping, gloving, and controlling the bleed. OAR 817-010-0008 required gloves for a procedure that just produced blood and goggles or a mask if spatter was likely. OAR 817-010-0060(6) required a puncture-resistant, leak-proof, closable sharps container labeled biohazard, not a coffee cup. OAR 817-010-0101(4) required high-level disinfection of the blood-contaminated chair arm and station. HLO does not grade “the cup was right there.”