Umsetzung des Arbeitsschutzes während der SARS-CoV-2-Pandemie in Friseursalons

Background: There is little empirical evidence with respect to the implementation (adherence) of occupational health and safety guidelines in Germany. Recommendations for the prevention of SARS-CoV‑2 infections in hairdressing services were provided by the German Statutory Accident Insurance for the Health and Welfare Services (BGW) in an occupational health and safety (OHS) standard in spring 2020.

Research question: To what extent are the recommendations adhered to in this service profession as judged by hairdresser's customers after their visits?

Material and methods: The survey was conducted as a covert participant observational study between the beginning of October and the middle of December 2020 as a non-systematic opportunistic sample in three cities. The standardized checklist included three domains: a) measures of general, mainly technical nature, b) in contact with the customer and c) on an individual level for infection prevention.The results on domain and overall level were summarized in a standardized sum index (0-1) of SARS-CoV‑2 OHS standard adherence. Nonparametric Wilcoxon tests were used to examine possible differences among the three subindices.

Results: The overall adherence index of 162 observations was 0.75 (SD 0.14). The two subindices on infection prevention in contact with the customer (e.g. indications for behavior rules) and on the individual level (e.g. wearing a mouth-nose covering) were significantly better than the one on general measures (e.g., hand cleaning possibility for customers).

Discussion: The observed adherence for prevention of SARS-CoV-2-infections in hairdresser salons was higher than experiences of the BGW on OHS adherence suggest. This might be explained by the general public awareness of risks of infection. The results on the adherence are only slightly lower than those resulting from around 400 standardized personal surveys of the BGW prevention services.

Limitations: Given the non-systematic opportunistic sample, a (positive) bias in the adherence results cannot be excluded.