It can be a frightening time when something goes wrong in your salon. Whether it be due to a malfunction in an electrical item, the chemicals in a product or even a client refusing a Patch Test, it is always best to remain calm and judge the situation appropriately before proceeding. This list will give you some help on how to keep calm and move forward if a client asks for compensation from your company.
Keep yourself Covered
Section 3 of the Health and Safety Work Act of 1974 requires that owners and managers of beauty treatment establishments conduct “their businesses and offer services in such a way that the clients are full protected from all risks of accidents.” However, not all accidents can be prevented and it’s best to have your company covered just in case. It is always important to gain Beauty Salon Insurance, however you may also want to consider looking into Errors and Omissions Insurance and General Liability Insurance. Together these policies can protect you from any problems that you or your staff may encounter in your salon. It also covers any injuries or property damage caused to any clients or other visitors.
Listen to your customers
Once your customer is injured, it is essential that you do everything in your power to help them and listen to what they have to say. The worst thing that you can do as a business owner is to try and argue with them. The best protection that you can give yourself is to speak to your client bluntly about the treatment and any potential risks. For instance, nail salons always have a chance of the false nail lifting or an infection arising from the glue under the nailbed.
Although a disclosure agreement may not be able to protect you again a lawsuit, it can provide evidence, if the client has signed it, that the clients went into the procedure knowing the risks involved. If your client is in a hurry and demands to have the treatment completed despite the risks, you can ask them to sign a waiver saying that they are assuming responsibility for any future problems.
Keeping an Accident book
As the time moves on to the court case, then your memory may fade on the issue, how it happened and what was the outcome of it. That is why it is essential that you keep an accident book where you can write down the problem and what happened afterwards, for instance if the client was verbally aggressive afterwards, or if any additional treatment was offered. The chances are the client will only be using their memory to express what happened.
It is also essential to keep an eye out for any clients that have not in fact suffered injury from the business and are simply trying to sue a company. Keep an eye on the dates of treatments, as if an injury came months after the treatment was completed, then this can be used in evidence.