5.5 Equipment, Implements & Electrical Tools: Function, Safety & Infection Control

5.5 Equipment, Implements & Electrical Tools: Function, Safety & Infection Control

The NIC content outline devotes a whole sub-area of the Hair Care and Services domain to tools used in hair care services, requiring candidates to identify the purpose, function, and infection control procedures of four distinct categories, and then to demonstrate safe practices for both tools and ergonomics. The categories are worth learning as categories, because the correct decontamination answer follows from which category an item belongs to.

The Four Categories

Equipment

The styling chair should be hydraulic and adjustable so that the work area sits at the stylist’s elbow height — this is an ergonomic control, not a comfort preference. The shampoo bowl must be kept in good repair and clean at all times, and cleaned and disinfected after each shampoo under WAC 308-20-110(11)(b). The dispensing sink required at any location providing chemical services is separate equipment again: WAC 308-20-110(1)(a) requires it to have hot and cold running water, to be used for mixing chemicals and disinfecting supplies, tools, equipment and materials, and to be labeled "not for public use."

Implements

Shears. Professional shears are typically forged or cast from stainless or cobalt alloy steel. Learn the parts — still blade, moving blade, pivot/tension screw, finger tang, finger and thumb grips. Palming the shears (rotating them into the palm and holding them closed) whenever you comb or section protects the client and keeps the blade edge from contacting the comb. Shears should be disinfected in a product that will not corrode them, which is why salon-grade quats include anti-rust additives.

Razors. A razor removes hair by slicing at an angle rather than closing on it, which tapers the ends. The safety guard is mandatory for beginners, hair must be wet for razor cutting, and the blade is a single-use item that must go into a sealable rigid puncture-proof labeled sharps container under WAC 308-20-110(5)(d).

Combs and brushes. Because they have no sharp edge or point, WAC 308-20-110(7)(b) requires them to be totally immersed in an EPA-registered disinfectant per manufacturer directions. A comb held in the mouth or a pocket violates WAC 308-20-110(7)(c) outright.

Clips, rods and rollers. Non-porous clips, rods and rollers are cleaned and disinfected between clients, and roller storage receptacles and their contents must themselves be cleaned, disinfected and free of foreign material under WAC 308-20-110(9)(c).

Supplies and Materials

Neck strips are the item most often mishandled. WAC 308-20-110(2)(a) requires that a neck strip or towel be placed around the client’s neck to prevent direct contact between a multiple-use haircloth or cape and the client’s skin, and that it be in place during the entire service — not just at the start. A cape draped straight onto bare skin is a violation even if the cape is freshly laundered.

Towels, capes and robes may not be used more than once without laundering, and laundering means a washing machine with detergent and chlorine bleach per manufacturer directions. Clean items go in a closed dustproof cabinet with solid sides and a top; soiled items go in a closed, ventilated hamper or a hamper with solid sides, and are never left overnight.

Applicator bottles and dispensers. WAC 308-20-110(1)(i) requires products to be dispensed so the remaining portion is not contaminated, using a disposable or cleaned-and-disinfected applicator, with no redipping, and liquids dispensed by squeeze bottle, pump, or spray. Every bottle and container must be distinctly and correctly labeled to disclose contents, with poisonous substances additionally and distinctly marked.

Electrical Tools

Blow dryers move heated air; the nozzle (concentrator) focuses airflow for smoothing and the diffuser disperses it to preserve natural curl pattern. Lint screens must be cleaned regularly — a clogged screen is a fire risk.

Thermal irons — curling, flat and pressing — work by heat, so temperature must be matched to hair texture and condition, and tested on a damp cloth or tissue before it touches hair. A comb held between the iron and the scalp protects against contact burns.

Clippers and trimmers cut against a stationary blade using a moving blade. Blades must be removed of hair, oiled per manufacturer directions, and disinfected with a product formulated for electrical tools.

Decontamination. WAC 308-20-110(8) is unambiguous and short: electrical tools and implements must be disinfected after service on each client in the following order — (a) remove hair and/or foreign matter; (b) disinfect with an EPA disinfectant specifically made for electrical tools and implements. There is no wash-and-rinse step because immersion would destroy the appliance.

Electrical safety at the station

• Never use an electrical appliance near water, and never touch one with wet hands. The shampoo area is the highest-risk zone in the salon.
• Ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) protection cuts power the instant it detects current leaking to ground. GFCI outlets belong anywhere an appliance is used near a water source.
• Inspect cords before each use. Frayed insulation, exposed wire, a loose plug or a cracked housing takes the tool out of service.
• Do not overload a circuit by running multiple high-draw appliances from a single outlet, and never disconnect by yanking the cord.
• Unplug appliances when not in use rather than switching them off at the handle, and store heated tools on a heat-resistant surface away from combustibles.

Ergonomics: Protecting the Practitioner

The NIC outline lists ergonomics under safe practices for a reason — repetitive strain is the leading cause of shortened careers in this trade.

• Keep wrists straight and neutral. Wrist flexion and extension under load compresses the median nerve inside the carpal tunnel and strains the flexor and extensor tendons.
• Work at elbow height. Raise or lower the hydraulic chair rather than raising your shoulders or bending your back. Sustained arm elevation above shoulder height loads the rotator cuff.
• Choose the right shears. Offset handles and swivel thumb rings let the elbow drop and the wrist stay neutral. A shear that forces the elbow up is the wrong shear.
• Stand with weight balanced, feet about hip-width apart, knees soft, and use anti-fatigue matting at the station.
• Take micro-breaks. Wrist rolls, finger extensions and shoulder rolls between clients restore circulation and reduce cumulative loading.
• Do not grip harder than the task requires. Excess grip force is a strong independent predictor of tendon injury.