Today, a barber shop business can come in many different formats and when it comes to your barber’s shop, establishing your own identity can help you stand out from the crowd. And after all the time, effort and investment you’ve put into building your business from scratch you’ll want to protect it.
You Are the Expert
As a barber, you know the ins and outs of your field. Cutting and styling men’s hair comes second nature to you and barber shop lingo is like a second language. But when something goes wrong, it can lead to a legal difficulty which you might find difficult to understand.
So, what can you do to cut out this jargon? When it comes to your barber shop business, it’s important to keep the business running as smoothly as possible – regardless of what comes your way. There are steps that you can take to maintain health and safety in your shop and minimise risk.
Minimise Risks
Barbicide can be used to maintain hygiene by disinfecting in your barbering tools. Wearing gloves whilst using a razor is the law as is using one blade per clients and protects you and your client’s hygiene. Investing in good quality equipment will save you time and money but most importantly they’ll stay in good working condition and perform better, reducing the risk of injury caused by bad quality equipment.
General health and safety practices should always be followed such as keeping your shop clean and tidy, ensuring wires aren’t trailing across the floor, sweeping up client’s hair and regularly sanitising your equipment and hands.
Though taking these steps can help your barber’s shop to be low-risk, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible for accidents to occur or situations to arise that could mean compensation claims are made against you.
Ipsos MORI found that “compensation culture” is common across the UK, with 72% of Brits admitting they would pursue a claim if they suffered an injury due to someone else’s fault. Compensation claims can be difficult to deal with especially when it involves legal arguments that are difficult to understand. You are legally liable to pay a client who injures themselves or suffers financial loss or damage to their property at the hands of you or your business.
Claims can arise from anything such as a client being cut when you’re cutting their hair to a customer who trips over electric wires or cables in your shop. Claims can also arise from employees. Employees liability insurance is a legal requirement if you hire any staff.
Keep your Business Protected
Taking out barber’s insurance will allow you to put a plan in place to protect your barber shop business in the event a claim is made against you. It is important to make sure that your insurance policy also includes treatment risk insurance, that goes beyond public liability insurance and covers any claims made against you as a result of any services you’ve performed.
Barbers insurance can also provide cover to your barber shop premises and its contents, allowing you to make a claim should your property suffer any losses or damage. By taking out barbers insurance, you can protect your business from any angle, whether compensation claims are made against you or you’re hit with legal action from tax/VAT insurance. It is better to be safe than sorry, and having barbers insurance in place means that you can continue to cut hair with peace of mind that should an unfortunate event occur, you are protected.
