Dubai’s salon workers to get hygiene lessons

BY PMA RASHEED

17 May 2010, The Gulf Today

AIMED at reducing risk of infections at ladies and gents salons as well as barber shops operating in the emirate, Dubai Municipality (DM) has launched a month-long hygiene campaign to educate technicians and workers at such salons.

The public awareness campaign, titled "Together for Better Health and Safety," will focus on reducing the risk of infections through unhygienic conditions and equipment in the salons, said a senior DM official.

Meanwhile, inaugurating the campaign, assistant director general for general support services sector at the DM, Abdullah Rafia said, "The programme arose from a need to make the general consumer and salon staff knowledgeable of the dangers of passing on diseases through re-use of un-sterilised equipments and unhygienic conditions in salons."

"The campaign will be taken to the public through press and radio publicity campaigns as well as a series of promotions in stores of Union Cooperative Society (UCS) across Dubai and selected shopping malls on weekends," he added.

Redha Hassan Salman, director of public health and safety department at the DM, said that during the campaign the municipality inspectors will be going to the barber shops and beauty salons to create awareness among the customers and the staff of the salons.

"They will talk to the barbers and remind them about the need for maintaining hygienic practices," he added. "They will also approach public and if they have any questions regarding the safety they will be answering them."

According to him, the DM inspectors conducted 26,000 inspections in the 3,500 ladies and gents salons in Dubai last year. "Out of these inspections, 2006 violations were noticed and all of them were brought to compliance immediately due to the punitive measures taken by the municipality," said Salman.

Information leaflets and special giveaways will be distributed to the public from the campaign sponsors through the promotions.

"The campaign will help educate and instill awareness among the Dubai residents on the need to adopt safe practices for good grooming and ways to ensure implementation of these best practices," said Vincenzo Ventricelli, MEA marketing director of Philips Consumer Lifestyle, a sponsor of the campaign.

There were also two live demonstrations during the launching of the campaign: the first one on safe practices of ladies manicure and pedicure, and the second one on hygienic men's hair-cutting methods.

Events at UCS outlets include setting up a DM stand for the distribution of leaflets and questionnaires. Promotional gifts such as towels and combs of the campaign will be given to those who fill up the questionnaires.

Two shopping malls each will be targeted for the event in Deira and Bur Dubai including Bur Juman Centre, Lamcy Plaza, Reef Mall and Al Khaleej Centre.