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Are You Liable if a Child is Hurt in Your Salon?
A Beauty Pro Guide to Liability

It’s no secret whatsoever that, as a stylist running a shop, you’re taking on inherent risk.

Unfortunately, anytime you invite people into your shop or to partake in your services, you’re inviting in risk–that’s just the name of the game when it comes to working with people (especially in such a hands-on way).

All of this inherent risk is true in general, but often, adults are relatively responsible people who think through their actions (well, in most cases).

This means there’s some natural curb to accidents in the salon–not an elimination entirely, but rather mitigation, if you will.

That concept of customer responsibility and logical action takes a little bit of a nosedive when we start talking about the kids-in-the-salon concept.

Another spoiler-not-so-spoiler here, but this tends to be a pretty spicy topic in the beauty pro community. We’re not saying that kids are looking for trouble, but we are saying that kids do have a propensity to get hurt–whether accidentally entirely or when doing something that they maybe shouldn’t be doing.

Of course, banning kinds from your salon is a personal decision–but it’s one that could impact the way your business operates, your influx of customers, and your profit margins.

So, if this isn’t necessarily on the table for you, it leads to a super important question–if a child gets hurt in your salon, are you liable?

Keep reading to find out!

Salons Aren’t Inherently Dangerous, But They Are Risky

We want to start this blog off with a very important distinction–we are not saying that salons or beauty shops are intentionally and inherently dangerous as a general rule.

Like, no–we’re not implying that you’re out here running an intentional deathtrap that could strike at any moment. But what we are saying is that, inherently, there are things associated with your services and shop that are dangerous for people who might not fully grasp the degree of risk.

And, yes, we mean children specifically in this example, but this applies to any individual who either can’t or chooses not to acknowledge the danger of certain tools.

But think about some of the stuff you’ve got in the salon that you need to do your job well:

  • Blades
  • Razors
  • Sheers
  • Toxic Chemicals
  • Bleach
  • Hot tools

And that’s just the start of the list. We want to lay this out to let you know that we’re not trying to put the blame on you for having an “unsafe salon”–we just want you to know that there are some inherently dangerous things in the salon, no matter how much you safeguard yourself or your shop. The risk, in other words, is never going to go away.

A Child Gets Hurt in Your Salon­­–Are You Liable?

The short answer here is this: it depends.

The medium answer here is:  it depends, but it’s highly likely that, yes, as the salon owner, you’re liable for what happens in your shop.

Of course, we know (and hope) you’re after the longer answer. So, here it goes.

A kid receives a haircut in a salon.

The moment someone steps into your shop–no matter their age–you become liable for what happens to them. Obviously, you can’t predict everyone’s behavior or their actions, so there’s going to be some area there where it’s not within the realm of your responsibility. But, for argument’s sake, let’s talk about normal, everyday occurrences where liability falls on you.

If a child enters your salon, trips on a rug, and hurts themselves, you are liable for that. Just like you’d be liable if an adult tripped on a rug in your salon and hurt themselves. If a child finds a pair of shears that are hanging out on a table, up for anyone to grab, and cuts themselves, that’s on you, too. Is that fair? Probably not. But you’re the salon owner–and what happens to someone in your shop is your responsibility.

This reason alone is why a lot of cosmetology business owners don’t allow children under a certain age in their shops. Do they have a problem with kids? Probably not. But they’re concerned about children getting hurt, and not allowing them in is one of the easiest ways to mitigate those risks.

The Best Protection is Prevention–Cosmetology Liability Insurance is a Must

The best way to ensure you are avoiding injury and liability of that injury is to cover your bases with prevention. This means going through your shop on a regular basis and safeguarding yourself, your employees, and your entire salon. Some areas of concern you might want to address are:

  • Improper storage of toxic chemicals
  • Harmful products on lower shelves
  • Sharp objects not stored properly or within reach of customers
  • Slippery floors, mats, rugs, or other tripping hazards

The best way to protect yourself against liability like this? Make sure you’re covered before it’s an issue. Cosmetology liability insurance is a way to help safeguard your salon, your employees, and yourself should something (alleged or actual) happen in your shop.

Need some advice on liability insurance? We’ve got you covered! Not only do we offer top-tier coverage made specifically for beauty pros like you, but we also have tons of helpful info available to give you the skinny on what the deal with liability insurance is.

We highly recommend some in-depth reading on our blog. Here are a few go-to articles to get you started:

The good news? We’re dropping insurance insight all the time on the EBS blog. The better news? There’s so much more to the blog than just insurance talk.

Subscribe to EBS here and now to get the inside scoop on new blogs, hot tips, and career-changing advice.

by Hanna Marcus
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