Development of health and safety training for Vietnamese American nail salon owners and workers

Background: Nail salon workers are an underserved worker population that faces multiple barriers to accessing occupational health training and services. We developed a series of occupational health training modules, which were culturally tailored to Vietnamese-speaking workers, covering topics on infection control, musculoskeletal disorder prevention, chemical safety, and labor practices. We delivered the training online (due to COVID-19) to a small group of Vietnamese owners and workers in the Philadelphia metro area to obtain feedback on the training content and potential implementation challenges. Methods: Seven participants (three owners and four workers) were recruited to attend the training. Qualitative feedback was obtained after each training session, followed by a more in-depth interviewer-assisted open-ended questionnaire to gain better understanding of the potential challenges of implementing the recommended changes. The Health Belief Model was used to guide the analysis of the participants's responses to identify the perceived benefits and barriers of the training. Results: Themes of perceived benefits of the training were bridging the gap of cosmetology school training, offering practical tips to protect their health at work, and inspiring conversations about work dignity and labor practices. Themes of perceived barriers were availability of affordable safer products and lack of resources, desire to please customers, lack of commitment from owners, and ubiquitous low wage that impacts employee's job satisfaction and motivation to change, and difficulty in obtaining a work license. Conclusions: Our study revealed the multitude of social and economic barriers facing immigrant nail salon owners and workers. Potential policies and strategies to overcome some of these structural barriers are discussed for the long-term health protection of nail salon workers.

The Effects of Awareness of Certification of National Nail-care Technicians on Applicability at Work and Satisfaction with License Acquisition

This study investigated the effects of the awareness of national nail-care technician certification on its applicability at work, satisfaction with license acquisition and the influence of such job applicability on satisfaction with license acquisition. It is anticipated that the study results would enhance people’s perception on the certification of national nail-care technicians and increase its usefulness at work. For this, a questionnaire survey was conducted among students majoring in cosmetology in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do, who had provided nail-care service at least once and those who earned certification as a national nail-care technician or who had taken the license test before among nail salon workers from July 19 to 25, 2019. For data collection, the questionnaire was distributed to nail salons, private cosmetology academies, colleges and others. The collected data were analyzed through frequency analysis, reliability analysis, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis using SPSS 25.0, and the results found the following: First, in sub-factors of the awareness of national nail-care technician certification, ‘value’ and ‘appropriateness of constitution’ had an influence on ‘field applicability’ while ‘cost effectiveness’, ‘necessity’ and ‘utility’ revealed no effect. In addition, while ‘appropriateness of constitution’ and ‘necessity’ affected ‘task applicability’, ‘value’, ‘cost effectiveness’ and ‘utility’ did not show any influence. Second, ‘value’ and ‘appropriateness of constitution’ had an effect on ‘satisfaction with license acquisition’ while no influence was found in ‘cost effectiveness’, ‘necessity’ and ‘utility’. Third, ‘field applicability’ and ‘task applicability’ revealed an influence on ‘satisfaction with license acquisition’.

Assessment of work-related symptoms, perceived knowledge, and attitude among nail salon technicians

Objectives: Beauty is a Lebanese stereotype, as Lebanese women often feel urged to decorate themselves. Recent studies have raised concerns about nail salon technicians’ (NSTs) health and safety issues. The aim of our study was to evaluate the occupational symptoms reported by NSTs, to assess their knowledge and document their awareness regarding hazardous chemicals found in nail cosmetics. Methods: NSTs completed a researcher-administered questionnaire. Data were gathered on sociodemographic characteristics, perceived knowledge, and safety issues. Work-related symptoms reported by NSTs were evaluated, and their responses were compared to those of the office employees. Results: A total of 120 NSTs and 120 office employees were interviewed. Compared to the control group, NSTs reported a higher prevalence of work-related respiratory, dermal, and irritative symptoms, all significantly associated with smoking and a poor ventilation system. In addition, musculoskeletal complaints were common among NSTs and significantly linked to a poor ventilation system, an increased number of customers per day, and a longer service duration. Furthermore, a longer career duration was significantly associated with an increased prevalence of irritative symptoms. When a binary logistic regression was carried out, it demonstrated a 25 times higher prevalence of work-related symptoms among NSTs compared to the office employees. Interestingly, 84% of the respondents had an inaccurate knowledge of nail cosmetics’ risks with their educational level acting as key factor. Conclusions: Based on these findings, it is warranted to perform a clinical assessment, implement a stringent regulatory framework, and improve knowledge toward nail cosmetics’ risk.

Skin Exposure to Acrylates in Nail Salons

Objectives The nail salon industry has seen significant growth in recent years. Nail technicians provide manicures, pedicures and apply artificial nails; tasks that expose them to chemicals, including acrylates that are known skin and respiratory sensitizers. This paper reports on potential skin exposure to acrylates among nail technicians in Toronto, Canada. Methods Hand skin wipes were collected after (i) the application of artificial nails, (ii) the application of ultraviolet cured gel nail polish, and (iii) deliberate contact with nail polish. Surface wipes were collected from work areas and surfaces contaminated with known products. Wipe samples were analysed for eight acrylates: methyl acrylate (MA), ethyl acrylate (EA), methyl methacrylate (MMA), ethyl methacrylate (EMA), 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA), 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate (HPMA), and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. Results Thirty-five wipe samples were collected. No acrylates were detected in skin samples (n = 8) or work surfaces (n = 6). However, MMA, EMA, EA, HEMA, and HPMA were detected in the samples of surfaces contaminated with known products. MMA was detected in 28% of products tested. HEMA and HPMA were detected where deliberate contact with nail polish occurred. Conclusions These results confirm that acrylates are present in nail products. However, no acrylates were detected in skin wipes. MMA, a chemical prohibited for use in cosmetics in Canada, was detected in nail polishes. Nail technicians should continue to employ safe work practices that reduce the probability of skin contact with acrylates and other chemicals.