It can be said that “success occurs when preparation meets opportunity.” When it comes to emergency procedures at your business, truer words can not be spoken.
Salon owners invest so much time, money and sweat equity in their pursuit of entrepreneurial achievement that it would be an utter waste to be unprepared for potential “bumps in the road” that they may encounter.
For tanning facilities, the main categories of emergency situations will center around medical, fire and robbery. During my Sun is Life® Certification classroom training, I always ask the class if they have such protocols in place. “What do you do if there is a robbery attempt?” “What do you do in case of a fire?” “What do you do if a tanner doesn’t come out of the tanning room after the session is completed?” Over the years, I’ve listened to some really entertaining responses (some that decorum forbids repeating here). But even if accurate, does every staff member know and understand these procedures?
Sometimes, these emergency procedures also migrate into daily salon operations. I recall a salon that typically kept their back door open during the busy season to counter an overheated facility. Yes, you do have to consider the proper BTUs and airflow in the salon based on the heat the equipment is putting out – but that’s for another day. The point is, having the back door open presents a perfect opportunity for theft and unwanted “patrons” to wander into the building.
“Good afternoon, Sir! You’re here for the Buy One/Get One Special, right?” may not be an effective way to thwart a potential criminal.
You might think that realizing a fire in your back room caused by a clothes dryer can be handled by simply running outside and calling 911. In that case, you’ve forgotten that you left an entire salon of scantily-clad guests unattended inside in their tanning rooms! During one class, I was covering this topic and medical emergencies. I asked the attendees what they would do if a guest suffered an apparent heart attack in the lobby. One proudly stated that they were also an EMT and would begin administering appropriate measures to revive the guest. Well, that would be an incredible – if successful – recovery. But, how many salon owners and staff have similar training? Probably not most, and it’s certainly not a prerequisite to owning and running a salon.
But we can’t stress enough the importance of having procedures in place and in writing for all staff members to read and acknowledge their comprehension by signature. It may not be an absolute, but it surely will stress the importance to your team.
Take the time to periodically review these procedures as a group with your employees, as well. Contact your local fire department and police department (non-emergency line, of course) to get some of the basics from them. Tell them about your salon, the size, the location, the power consumption of your equipment, entry and exits and so forth. They can provide some solid suggestions to format your emergency procedures.
All this and more is covered in the Sun is Life Training & Certification program. Prepare your plan, put it in writing and share it with your staff.
Best of luck for a safe 2023!
