What are health officials saying about safety barriers in Salons & how does a barrier help?

Out of our deep respect for life & health, Nail Innovationz has added extra layers of safety for our clients and staff.  We have added a Nail Desk Shield barriers to our nail desk and checkout counter.  We take Infection Control very seriously.  This is just one of example of the extra safety measures we have implemented over and above the minimum government regulated Infection Controls at this time.

I spoke with our local Health Inspector Rory Peever, and sent him our protocols regarding insights for Infection Control measures at this time. He was able to offer some great insights on safety barriers and said "I checked out your website. Great example of infection control."

As well as listing the Alberta  re-launch strategy, Peever said,  "At this time, Alberta Health has not given Alberta Health Services a lot of information in regards to facility precautions for the relaunch.

As we can see in their re-launch strategy, one of the points for infection control is to encourage wearing a mask in public where unable to physically distance.

It would appear this is their main idea of infection control during esthetic procedures."

He went on to discuss Nail Innovationz desk shield.

In regards to Nail Innovationz desk shields, Peevers noted we have probably "seen variation within installed barriers to protect customers/workers at cash registers/checkouts in the facilities that were allowed to remain open during the shutdown (grocery and convenience stores).  As well, we may have seen or heard about a few facilities open during the shutdown with no barrier at all.

Installed barriers were not part of Alberta Health requirements or Alberta Health Services recommendations/advice given to the open facilities. Companies and businesses took it upon themselves to install these devices and since there was no standard, there is a wide variation of barrier sizes, styles, curvature, side panels, and thickness."

 

As there was no barrier requirement or standards from AHS, and there is nothing regarding barriers listed in the re-launch strategy, it would seem for now anyway that it is up to each bizness to decide for themselves the extent of the precautions they will take.

However, is appears at this time that other provinces are looking at implementing higher standards.  BC's Provincial Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry says the province of BC is looking at implementing engineering controls for other businesses.   Controls such as plexiglass barriers separating cashiers and customers that have already been installed at grocery stores.  “There is a lot of protection that you get from a plexiglass barrier between you and somebody in the grocery store,” she said.

What's the take away?

We all want to personally evaluate the risks to both our clients and ourselves at every step of the service.  Then determine the best approach possible to the reduce the risk of contracting or spreading these novel or new types of pathogens.

At Nail Innovationz, we are never about looking at what is the bare minimum or what is good enough.  Looking beyond the minimum standards of our industry, province or even our country, we look to what is the best humans in general are doing in this area.  The best we can do from our research here is to implement Nail Desk Shield safety barriers.  It's the best we can do for the patrons of our salons, ourselves and our families.

Let us know what your thoughts are below.  Barriers or no barrier?

~Avry Bablitz

Founder Nail Innovationz

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  1. Hi Avery
    I looked at the desk shield as soon as I saw one but for myself personally I’m thinking I would prefer a face shield rather than a desk shield although if it’s required I will certainly use one I feel I would prefer a face shield rather than a desk shield to me personally I think the desk shield is a bit like a wall between me and the client, whereas the face shield shows I want to protect myself and the client without putting walls between us ( if that makes sense). I have been looking at different styles and am waiting to see what if any guideline are put out for us as we get closer to opening

    Reply
    • Hi Rita!! I thought the same thing about not wanting to feel like there’s a wall between us! I must say though, I really didn’t notice the Desk Shield was there in testing until we took it away. Then I could “feel” how much protection it was offering… I’ve read tons of articles on PPE that discusses long sleeve paper gowns. Personally, I’d rather be behind an invisible wall like the Nail Desk Shield than be changing my gown after every client – if it comes to that… But even if it doesn’t, I have allergies and I’ve had allergic reactions to clients animal dander on their clothes. Feeling the protection the Desk Shield provides, I’m excited to see if my face, nose and arms will get itchy when a client with pets sits across the desk from me. The only opening will be right over my ventilation draw. Previously, I have even noticed a reduction in the animal dander that lands on me or flies up my nose, just by leaving my vent on during the nail service. so, I usually leave it on all the time now. I can literally feel my reaction to airborne animal dander landing on me. So this is an area of untapped expertise that I am able to tap into here lol. Because of my allergies, I’m super aware of how airborne particle and how air flows and carries particles even as small as animal dander and pollen. Based on my personal experiences, I’m confident that this Desk Shield will make a huge difference, without feeling like I’m separated from my client.

      Reply
  2. No barrier. It creates a false sense of security.
    A face mask covering your nose and mouth, as well as one for a customer to wear. Plexiglass barrier is just going to be one more thing that collects dust.

    Reply
    • Hi Kara 🙂
      I agree, the shield could be one more thing to collect dust, especially depending on the type of ventilation one has. Having said that, if it’s catching dust we might ask what else is it catching? What percentage of dust is it collecting that might otherwise be airborne. And based on that, what percentage of reduction in airborne mouth droplets could be collected also…

      Reply
  3. Ventilation I would think more of.
    Barriers seem like not stopping anything other than direct. The virus is airborne and also by contamination of items. I cleared anything that is not essential on my desk and salon, to insure easy complete disinfection.
    If you consider grocery stores putting a shield in everyone’s face that is not disinfected between each shopper. Might make the clerk safer and put customers even more at risk.

    Reply
    • You bring up a number of good thoughts to the table here Brenda.
      I agree, we can’t say enough about good ventilation. Which is why after 10 years in the nail industry I worked on our own ventilation system in 2010. I was not about to stop wearing black or start wearing scrubs that I didn’t care if they got dusty. I wanted a better solution! Personally, experiencing the difference, I would not do nailz without our Ni Ventilation System. https://www.nailnerdz.com/product/eat-my-dust/ for anyone that is looking for better options. I always wear black. I’m never covered in dust!
      Eliminating all non-essential things is smart to make complete disinfection easier! The minimalists in my life will be excited that I’ll be forced to de-clutter. lol
      What I’ve noticed about grocery store barriers and other customers is that when another customer is breaking the 6 foot barrier – I am very aware of that! Yet when I’m standing 2 feet away from a cashier with a barrier between us, I definitely feel a measure of increased protection. I don’t see any way to be 100% protected unless we move to the north pole, alone and live off the frozen land. lol

      So what Infection Control is about is risk assessment and minimizing risk. There are proven risks to being within 6 feet of another person. Masks minimize risk. By what percentage? Gloves minimize risk, by what percentage? A Desk Shield barrier minimizes risk, by what percentage? Each element we add provides an increased percentage of protection. So these are the questions we are asking.

      Reply
  4. 1 it creates a false sense of security
    2 its another thing to disinfect
    3 it makes it extremely clinical, which imo I do not like
    4 for me I would have to buy a whole new desk because my dust/filtration system sits on top of my desk.
    The client would have to bend their wrist under and over to get to me.
    5 it takes up alot of room on the table.
    6 if you sneeze or cough unless that barrier is the exact length and width of your area, droplets can still get around and over it.

    I plan to have face shields, masks, gloves and aprons to protect my client and I.

    Reply
    • 1 Nothing we do will give us 100% safety. However, each thing we do reduces our risk by a certain percentage. The more things we do, the greater we reduce risk.
      2 Yes, a shield it is another thing to disinfect. But that may be preferred for some and seen as less work than changing ones clothes between clients.
      3 We are offering a personal service where medical grade disinfection is required. Doesn’t that put us in the clinical category?
      4 We have added product pictures of the Desk Shield with a table top vent option. The current shield allows ample room for clients to put their hand thru straight.
      5 So would Covid-19. – We also have a 1/2 size option available upon request.
      6 What’s safer? Someone sneezes or coughs and there is no barrier? Someone sneezes or coughs and there is some barrier?
      Face shields will still require disinfection between every client. Gloves MUST be changed for every client. And aprons that become soiled with dust will need to be changed between clients.

      Reply
  5. I agree with the wall feeling and just another surface to clean and disinfect! I am looking for masks for both myself and my clients but also asking my clients to purchase their own mask. One less thing for me to worry about or purchase and add to my expenses.

    Reply
    • Hey Krystal, I think having clients bring and provide their own mask is a great cost saving idea. There are different degrees of mask filtration & if a client were to wear something less than ideal, this would be the perfect reason to beef up the barrier between us with a a desk shield. I totally thought it would feel like a wall too, but it seriously doesn’t!? It’s truly like an invisible wall – and being so clear it was actually really hard to photograph! lol I don’t even notice it’s there until it’s taken away – and THEN I feel extremely vulnerable and unprotected. If it requires disinfection, we have to ask why? Why does it require disinfection? And herein I believe lies the answer to the question of it’s value. The whole point of it is to catch particles before they spread to another person. $159 seems like a small expense compared to the cost of me or one of my clients catching Covid-19 at my desk. There are government teams in place to trace sources of infection. If this were to trace back to one nail salon – what impact would that have on the entire industry? That impact I believe would be a cost far greater than $159 for a desk shield. I was not excited about it at first, I’ll admit. But the more I examined the evidence, the greater the Desk Shields value became to my clients health, my health, my families health and my livelihood.

      Reply

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