Le Aurora B, Rosemberg Marie-Anne S, Sturgis Anna C, Siracuse Brianna M
Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan USA.
Department of Systems, Population and Leadership, School of Nursing University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan USA.
Health Sci Rep. 2022 Jul 20;5(4):e730. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.730. eCollection 2022 Jul.
Nail salon workers (NSW) in the United States (U.S.) are predominantly immigrant women who face a number of occupational hazards, such as biological, ergonomic, and chronic chemical exposures. Additionally, there are challenges to keeping up with the latest practices in this evolving small business industry. Licensure requirements are intended to keep not only consumers but also workers safe, however licensure requirements vary between states creating little skill, education, and occupational health and safety knowledge and practice consistency among the nail salon workforce. The current state of nail salons and licensure of workers in the State of Michigan-an overlooked state and region (Midwest) in NSW research-was determined to better characterize this workforce.
A Freedom of Information Act request was submitted to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs regarding nail salon establishments and their workers, formally termed manicurists, and citation data for breaches. Data were provided on the number of licensed cosmetologists and cosmetology businesses from January 2017 to March 2021. From there, the total number of licensed manicurists was determined, and the cosmetology establishment list was analyzed to see if the businesses exclusively or predominantly provided nail services.
As of Mach 2021, there were 1372 nail salons that exclusively provided nail services and over 12,000 licensed manicurists. Over half of the disciplinary actions cited were for salons not officially licensed. Michigan has reduced licensure requirements compared to other states and no continuing education (CE) requirements for license renewals.
There is a need for industry educational and training standardization, across the nation, as well as heightened licensure requirements for these vulnerable workers. CE not only keeps workers abreast of the latest practices in the industry, but also provides them the skills and knowledge to enhance their worker health, safety, and wellbeing.
美国美甲沙龙工作人员主要是移民女性，她们面临诸多职业危害，如生物性、工效学和慢性化学物质暴露。此外，在这个不断发展的小企业行业中，跟上最新做法也存在挑战。执照要求旨在保障消费者和工作人员的安全，然而各州的执照要求各不相同，导致美甲沙龙从业人员在技能、教育以及职业健康与安全知识和实践方面缺乏一致性。密歇根州是美甲沙龙工作人员研究中被忽视的一个州和地区（中西部），为了更好地描述该州美甲沙龙及工作人员的现状，我们进行了此项研究。
根据《信息自由法》，向密歇根州许可与监管事务部提交了关于美甲沙龙机构及其工作人员（正式称谓为美甲师）以及违规处罚数据的申请。提供了2017年1月至2021年3月期间持牌美容师和美容企业的数量。据此确定持牌美甲师的总数，并分析美容机构名单，以查看这些企业是否专门或主要提供美甲服务。
截至2021年3月，有1372家专门提供美甲服务的美甲沙龙，以及超过12000名持牌美甲师。超过一半的违规处罚是针对未正式获得执照的沙龙。与其他州相比，密歇根州降低了执照要求，且没有执照续期的继续教育要求。
全国范围内都需要对该行业进行教育和培训标准化，同时提高对这些弱势工作人员的执照要求。继续教育不仅能让工作人员了解行业最新做法，还能为他们提供提升职业健康、安全和福祉的技能和知识。
