Profuse thanks to Eugene
the Video Editor and his minions at Shadow Mongoose Studios shop for helping
put these videos together. Without their able assistance, this message
might never have been possible.
I’ve known about some serious problems with
basic sanitation in the barber and cosmetology professions for several
years. I made a few attempts recently to bring them to the attention of
Texas barber regulators, but my efforts were rebuffed, so I decided to
let my fellow Texans know about the hazards they face when they visit most
haircutters. Actually, I’d much rather resolve these issues before the
Texas Barber Advisory Board in Austin, but their most recent meeting was
January of 2009 (it is almost October now), and it’s impossible to make
progress on much of anything when they have public meetings only once or
twice a year.
Here are a few simple
changes that I feel would help to safeguard your health and safety when
getting a haircut:
Require a sink to be next
to every barber or cosmetologist work station. If it’s not there, they
can’t use it, can they?
Require barbers and cosmetologists
to wash their hands with soap and water before working on a customer.
Stop using the same razor
blade on multiple customers, particularly customers with blood-borne diseases.
Sanitize all brushes, including
neck duster brushes and hair brushes, after every customer.
Move regulatory oversight
authority over barbers from the TDLR, who are experts in regulating trades
like electricians, water well diggers, and matchmakers, to the Texas Department
of Health, who know about germs, diseases, and sanitation.
Use EPA-registered disinfectants
according to the label directions. Repeal TDLR rules that suggest or require
use of disinfectants contrary to label directions.
