Occupational Risk Assessment for a Nail Stylist — Four Pages That Buy Peace With PIP [Template]

Tuesday, 8:30. Marta opens the salon, puts the kettle on for tea, sets up the e-files. At exactly 8:32, a PIP (Polish State Labour Inspection) inspector knocks at the door. She introduces herself, shows her ID, asks for the occupational risk assessment for Asia, who started work in January. Marta reaches for the binder and pulls out a four-page document. Eighteen risk factors, each scored on a 1–5 scale. The inspector reads for twelve minutes, nods, writes up the report with no findings. She leaves at 8:55. Marta returns to her tea before the 9:00 client even takes off her coat.

Three streets away, in another salon, the scenario is different. Olena has no document at all. The inspector does not nod. The report reads: no occupational risk assessment. Fine of 2 000 PLN, order to remedy within 14 days, re-inspection in a month.

The difference between these two salons is four sheets of A4. This article shows you how to write them so your inspection looks like Marta's.

Who needs a risk assessment and when it must be ready

An occupational risk assessment is mandatory from the first person you employ. It does not matter whether you hire on a UoP (employment contract — Umowa o Pracę), a commission contract, a B2B (sole-trader to sole-trader contract) with one regular collaborator, or a graduate internship. If someone works under your roof regularly and on your account, you must have a risk assessment for her (Art. 226 of the KP — Polish Labour Code).

The assessment must be ready before the first day of work. Not a week later, not after the first payroll. Before. A PIP inspector can demand the document at any time, and the most common moment of inspection is the first quarter after a new employee is registered with ZUS — that's when PIP systems automatically flag changes in the records.

If you run the salon alone, with no one else, formally you don't have to do a risk assessment for yourself. But in practice — it's worth doing. Same BHP (occupational health & safety, Polish OHS), same fumes, same carpal tunnel syndrome. The document about you alone then serves as a base when your first stylist arrives.

B2B does not exempt you from the risk assessment. This is a common myth — "she has her own company, she's responsible for her own BHP." Yes, formally she is, but if she works in your premises, on your equipment, during your hours, PIP treats it as an employment relationship. And then the risk assessment is yours. If you're torn between forms of employment, see hiring the first stylist in a salon — there's a full breakdown of pros and cons there.

18 risk factors in a nail salon

Most free templates on the internet have 8–10 factors. That's too few. A PIP inspector in 2026 knows a nail salon by heart — she'll see you've left something important out. The full list she checks:

Chemical factors

• Acetone fumes when removing gel polish — irritating to the airways, building up in a poorly ventilated room
• Formaldehyde and toluene in lacquers — sensitising substances, carcinogenic with long-term exposure
• Gel polish resin allergens and acrylic allergens — methacrylates, the most common cause of contact allergy in stylists with 5+ years of experience
• Cyanoacrylate adhesives (for lashes, tip repairs) — highly irritating to eyes and airways; details in the SDS for eyelash glue

Physical factors

• E-file dust when filing gel polish and the natural nail plate — particles < 5 micrometres penetrate deep into the lungs
• E-file noise — at 8h a day it approaches the harmful threshold
• UV/LED radiation from the lamp — cumulative exposure of the skin of the hands, increased risk of skin changes
• Precision lighting — eye strain, dry conjunctiva after 6h of work

Ergonomic factors

• Long hours in a seated position — overload of the lumbar spine
• Repetitive wrist motion — carpal tunnel syndrome, the most common occupational diagnosis for stylists after 7+ years of work
• Static tension in shoulders and neck — chronic pain, migraines
• Working bent over the client's hand — neck pain, cervical disc disease

Biological factors

• Contact with blood and secretions when cuticles get cut — risk of HBV, HCV, HIV
• Fungal pathogens from clients' nails — onychomycosis, candidiasis
• Wart pathogens (HPV) — contact with broken skin

Psychosocial and accident factors

• Emotional stress with difficult clients — professional burnout after 4–6 years
• Verbal abuse and aggression — especially in salons near large shopping centres
• Burns from wax depilation and burns from halogen lamps (if the salon also offers auxiliary treatments)

That's 18 factors the inspector wants to see in the document. If any is missing, she asks why. No answer = finding.

Assessment method — risk = severity × probability

The Polish standard used by PIP is the Risk Score scale. Each factor gets two numbers from 1 to 5:

• Severity of the outcome (1 = minor inconvenience, 5 = serious health damage or death)
• Probability of occurrence (1 = negligible, 5 = very high)

You multiply the two values. The result:

• 1–5: acceptable risk — monitoring is enough
• 6–15: medium risk — control required, reducing measures
• 16–25: unacceptable risk — requires immediate corrective action

Example. E-file dust. Severity: 4 (lung damage on long exposure). Probability: 4 (daily exposure, 8h a day). 4 × 4 = 16. Unacceptable risk. Measure: dust extractor at every station + FFP2 mask + mechanical ventilation. After implementing the measures, the risk drops to 4 × 2 = 8 (medium, controlled).

The inspector wants to see both numbers — before and after measures are in place. That shows you haven't just identified the risk, you're actually managing it.

The full methodology with calculation templates for all 18 factors is in PRO 349 PLN — a ready-made document to print, sign, and file in the binder.

Risk assessment table template

The heart of the document is the table. Here's how a fragment looks that the PIP inspector will see in the binder:

Risk factor	Severity	Prob.	Risk	Control measures
E-file dust	4	4	16	Dust extractor, FFP2 mask, ventilation
Acetone fumes	3	4	12	Mechanical ventilation, sealed containers
Gel polish resin allergens	4	3	12	Nitrile gloves, task rotation
Contact with client's blood	5	2	10	Gloves, disinfection, first-aid kit, protocol
Carpal tunnel syndrome	3	4	12	Breaks every 90 min, ergonomic chair
UV/LED radiation	3	3	9	UV gloves, SPF cream on hands
E-file noise	2	3	6	Quiet e-file, limited work time
Emotional stress	2	3	6	Procedure for reporting difficult situations

That's 8 of 18 items — the full document has all 18 factors with a separate row for each. After implementing control measures you add a second column: risk after reduction.

Four pages of structure — what specifically to fill in

A good risk assessment fits on 4 pages. Less = the inspector will consider it incomplete. More = overkill, signalling that you're copying from a template and not adapting it to your salon.

Page 1 — workstation profile

• Position title: nail stylist
• First and last name of the person employed
• Date of employment, form of contract
• Working hours (e.g. 8h × 5 days)
• Description of tasks: classic manicure, gel polish, gel, e-filing, depilation
• Workstation: physical description (table, chair, e-file, lamp, dust extractor)

Page 2 — table of 18 factors with assessment

Full table as in the example above. All 18 rows. Each with numbers before and after measures are implemented.

Page 3 — control measures

• Technical measures: ventilation, dust extractors, LED lighting, ergonomic chairs
• Organisational measures: task rotation, breaks every 90 min, cleaning schedule
• Personal protective equipment (PPE): nitrile gloves, FFP2 masks, aprons, safety glasses during depilation
• Training: initial and periodic BHP, first aid, handling of bloodborne pathogens
• Procedures: tool disinfection, post-cut handling, accident reporting

The ventilation part is described in detail in ventilation and chemical substances in the salon — in your risk assessment refer to that document as an annex.

Page 4 — review plan and signatures

• Date the assessment was drawn up
• Date of the next review (typically: every year or after a change in working conditions)
• Employer's signature
• Employee's signature with date — confirmation that she has read the assessment
• Salon stamp

What PIP checks step by step

The inspector doesn't read every word. She has a 6-point checklist:

1. Whether the document exists at all — on paper, in the binder, signed
2. Whether it covers all employed persons by first and last name
3. Whether it accounts for all relevant factors — dust, fumes, ergonomics, biological, psychosocial
4. Whether the assessment method is described — scale, numbers, categories
5. Whether specific control measures are listed — not "exercise caution", but "FFP2 mask, ventilation 3x/h, nitrile gloves"
6. Whether the employee has signed acknowledgment — with date

Six ticks = report with no findings. Five ticks = written caution. Four or fewer = fine of 1 000 – 30 000 PLN plus order to remedy within 14 days.

What's missing in free templates from the internet

You download a free "risk assessment template for a beauty salon" from the first page of Google. 90% of them have one or more of these flaws:

1. Only 8–10 factors — missing psychosocial factors, ergonomic detail, contact allergy
2. No numbers — descriptive "low/medium/high" instead of the 1–5 scale. PIP requires numbers.
3. Vague control measures — "maintain hygiene", "use gloves" without specifics (which gloves, when to change, where to dispose)
4. No space for the employee's signature — the assessment alone isn't enough, there must be confirmation of acknowledgment
5. No review plan — a document without a next-review date is a dead document

A ready 4-page template with 18 factors, the 1–5 scale, control measures and space for signatures is in the PRO 349 PLN package — a document prepared for PIP inspection in 2026.

Related BHP documents

The risk assessment doesn't live alone. It works alongside:

• First-aid kit in the salon — what's inside, where, how to document
• Safety data sheets for hazardous substances — annex to the assessment in the chemical part
• BHP training cards — proof that the employee knows how to act
• Accident log — diary of incidents

FAQ — Frequently asked questions

How often should the risk assessment be updated?

Standardly every 12 months. Additionally, always after a change in conditions: new equipment, new chemical preparation, new workstation, accident in the salon. Every change = update date in the document.

Does the stylist have to sign the assessment?

Yes. The employee's signature confirms she has read the document — it's a mandatory element. Without a signature, PIP treats the document as an internal draft, not as proof that the employee knows the risks.

What if I hire a stylist on B2B?

If she works in your premises, on your equipment, during your hours — PIP treats it as an employment relationship and requires a risk assessment on your side. The B2B contract alone doesn't exempt you from the BHP obligation. Safer to do the assessment than to explain to the inspector the difference between CEIDG and UoP.

Is the assessment the same for a nail technician and a beautician?

No. The base structure is similar, but the risk factors differ. A beautician additionally has: exposure to aerosols, greater risk of wax burns, ergonomic factors related to standing work at the treatment bed. For each position a separate document.

Can PIP close the salon for lack of a risk assessment?

Lack of assessment alone — no. Fine of 1 000 – 30 000 PLN, order to remedy within 14 days. But if a workplace accident happens while no assessment is in place, the prosecutor's office qualifies it as exposing an employee to direct danger (Art. 220 of the Criminal Code) — then you face a fine, restriction of liberty, and in extreme cases imprisonment up to 3 years.