AN award-winning Scottish hairdresser has criticised new rules going before the European Parliament that could force stylists to wear rubber gloves.
Scottish Hairdresser of the Year three times winner Charlie Taylor has hit out after new guidelines emerged from Europe calling for hairdressers to be banned from wearing high heels during work and told to wear arm-length rubber gloves while working, in case of cuts.
The health and safety directives also order stylists to wear "non-slip soles" and bans some type of jewellery as unhygienic.
Hairdressers are also told staff may not do too many haircuts in one day, to prevent "emotional collapse", and to take breaks for "social dialogue" – gossip – with colleagues.
The agreement is due to be signed this month between Coiffure EU, a group of European salon bosses, and Uni Europa Hair & Beauty, a union for European hairdressers.
Both groups are "social partners" of the European Commission and will submit the deal to Brussels to become an EU-wide directive binding on all 27 states.
However, Ms Taylor said increasing red tape and workplace guidelines will threaten the survival of some salons.
She said: "These proposals are utterly unbelievable. I honestly cannot understand why a bunch of bureaucrats sitting in Brussels think it's appropriate to dictate the footwear and jewellery choices of hairdressing professionals, whose very business is about style and fashion. What next? No high heels for models on catwalks?"
The salon boss, who started her own business in the 1980s, last year styled hair at the Eurovision Song Contest and was a guest at Russia's biggest trade show on Saturday, the Golden Scissors.
She said: "I wore my heels on stage on Saturday, make no mistake. And I would consider it utterly impractical to cut hair wearing rubber gloves.
"Being able to feel the client's hair is critical to delivering a professional and high-quality cut. To be honest, I'm still reeling from the sheer stupidity of their suggestions.
"I've been in business for over 25 years and being in business now is tougher than ever. There are too many small companies struggling to keep going during this recession, weighted down with unnecessary red tape.
"These proposed rules have little or no bearing on day-to-day reality. Health and safety is important in any industry, but so is common sense and it's about high time some of these bureaucrats employed some – before they put thousands of jobs and livelihoods at risk."
If the plans are agreed by the European Commission they will be submitted to the European Council of member states.
The National Hairdressers' Federation says the plans will cost the UK industry £3 million a year in wasted time and red tape.
President Mark Coray said the plans as they stand are unnecessary and potentially onerous for UK salons. He added: "We all agree health and safety has to be a priority, especially for a vital and very public industry such as hairdressing. But the agreement being put forward in Europe is way too vague and intrusive.
"What's more, the vast majority of what is being recommended is, in fact, already covered by UK health and safety law. The main difference is UK law retains enough flexibility to allow salon owners to make reasonable, risk-assessed decisions about the day-to-day running of their businesses while ensuring workers are protected.
"The EU proposals would mean a regime of coercion and compulsion, which is never good for business."
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