Nail Technicians: Workplace Safety and Health

Overview

Nail salon workers, or nail technicians, perform work tasks that can put them at risk for negative health outcomes. Nail technicians are potentially exposed to dozens of chemicals at work. Repetitive motions and awkward positions can also strain their muscles, joints, and ligaments.

In the United States, there are over 400,000 active nail technicians.1 These workers are largely:

• Female12
• Foreign-born/minority workers12

Approximately 46% of nail technicians born outside of the United States do not speak English well.2

Hazards and exposures

Chemical hazards

Nail products often contain many chemical ingredients. Some common chemicals in these products include:

• Acetone
• Dibutyl phthalate
• Ethyl acetate
• Formaldehyde
• Methacrylate compounds
  
• Toluene
• Triphenyl phosphate
  

Workers can breathe in the dusts or vapors from these chemicals, absorb them through the skin, or ingest them. Depending on the exposure, some chemicals in nail salon products can cause health problems like:

• Skin rash or contact dermatitis
• Eye, nose, throat irritation
• Asthma
• Neurological effects
• Reproductive problems
• Cancer

Physical hazards

Nail technicians might use awkward postures during work tasks. For example, they might lean over a table during manicures or hunch down to perform pedicures. They also perform repetitive motions, such as filing nails. Awkward postures and repetitive motions put them at risk for developing musculoskeletal disorders.

Best practices

Reducing chemical exposures

Ventilation

Good ventilation can reduce the level of chemicals in the air. In addition to general room ventilation, nail salons can use local exhaust ventilation controls at workstations.3

Local exhaust ventilation can come in many forms, such as:

• Portable units that filter or exhaust air to the outdoors
• Downdraft ventilated tables

Other ways to reduce workers' exposure to chemicals

• Use pressure-sensitive dispenser bottles with small openings 3
• Keep chemical containers closed3
• Avoid eating or drinking in the work area3
• Wear personal protective equipment, such as gloves3 and N95^® filtering facepiece respirator4

Reducing musculoskeletal strain

Using equipment that improves posture, such as an adjustable chair, and taking breaks can help reduce the risk for musculoskeletal issues. See more best practices for nail technicians on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) website. Employers can use the NIOSH Elements of Ergonomics Programs to help reduce workers' musculoskeletal disorders.

Spotlight

A recent NIOSH Science blog discusses NIOSH work on researching the risk of birth defects among pregnant nail salon workers and hairdressers. NIOSH researchers found mothers who gave birth to infants with a congenital heart defect were roughly 3 times more likely than mothers of infants with no birth defect to have worked as a nail technician during early pregnancy.

The blog is also available in Vietnamese and Korean.

Research

See the NIOSHTIC-2 database search results on nail technicians and nail salons. NIOSHTIC-2 is a database of occupational safety and health publications funded in whole or in part by NIOSH.

Resources

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) resources

Health Hazards in Nail Salons. This website includes information and steps that nail salon workers and employers can take to prevent injuries and illnesses.

Stay Health and Safe While Giving Manicures and Pedicures. This guide provides information for workers on possible hazards, good work practices, and their rights.C

Contact CDC/NIOSH

If you have questions about this topic, please contact CDC-INFO.