Legal Liabilities & The Risks They Bring

The Top 3 Liabilities Every Beauty Pro Should Know

There’s a lot about the cosmetology industry that’s undeniably awesome.

You get to be creative, you get to work with people, you get to enjoy the sky-is-the-limit freedom that goes hand-in-hand with working within an industry that truly has no limitations.

And most importantly of all, you get the opportunity to make people happy, feel good about themselves, and even achieve a healthier self.

It doesn’t get much better than that, does it?

Of course, there’s no such thing as a career that doesn’t have a few negatives here and there, and yours is no exception.

Unfortunately, as wonderful as cosmetology is, it comes with some underlying, unavoidable risks.

Those risks, well, we’ll just call those liabilities.

And as much as we hate to talk about the bad parts of your awesome industry, the fact of the matter is that liability does exist—and it’s something that you (as a cosmetologist, salon owner, entrepreneur) need to know about.

Why? Because, as they say—knowledge is power.

Or rather, letting that knowledge guide how you protect yourself is the real power, anyway.

In other words, when you have a solid understanding of the risk you’re facing, you’re better able to counteract and mitigate that risk, ensuring that even if something does happen in your shop (actual or alleged), you’re covered and taken care of.

So, let’s dive in—we’re talkin’ about the must-know risk every cosmetologist takes on the second they decide this is the career for them.

The Top 3 Types of Liability Every Cosmetologist Should Understand 

While there’s lots of liability out there you should be aware of, we’re going to go over the basics today and just break down the three major types we think you should know about.

If you want to learn more about liability (and liability insurance) in general, we’ve got an entire guide you should check out.

But first, let’s talk liability.

Slips, Falls, and Other Accidents

Otherwise known as the slip-‘n’-fall risk or, as we call it in the insurance biz, general liability. Let’s break this down for a better look at what this type of risk entails.

General liability is basically the type of liability anyone takes on when they’re welcoming customers into their space.

Essentially, general liability has to do with accidents, issues, damage, or incidents that occur in your shop that don’t relate to your professional services.

In other words, if someone walks into your salon, slips on some rogue conditioner that made its way out of the shampoo bowl, and sprains their ankle, then that’s something you could be liable for.

Obviously, as a responsible stylist, you’ll do your best to alert customers when something is slippery, will place mats where necessary, and will clean up spills as fast as possible, but the reality is that accidents happen, and sometimes, you’re liable for those accidents.

Professional & Product Issues 

This type of risk deals with issues, damages, or problems that relate directly to the services you provide your clients and the products you use on your clients.

So, for example, if a client doesn’t like the new look you gave them or had an issue with your professional services, they could file a claim against you.

Just like if you recommended a product to your client that made their hair fall out, they could potentially blame you for this issue.

Whether these things are actually your fault or not are determined on a case-by-case basis, but still, it’s a risk you assume when you step into the salon and become a cosmetologist.

Salon Equipment Problems 

Let’s say you accidentally set the curling iron too high and you burn your client’s ear while styling their hair.

Obviously, this wasn’t intentional and, of course, accidents happen, but your client could still sue you for damages based on this equipment issue.

This is yet another risk you assume when you become a cosmetologist.

Cosmetology Liability Insurance—The Secret Weapon for Dealing with Assumed Risk

The good news about all these bad things? They don’t have to ruin your career.

With one, simple step, you can safeguard yourself from a whole slew of what-ifs and possibilities—all it takes is finding the right liability insurance partner.

With professional liability insurance, general liability insurance, and product liability insurance, you can protect yourself on all fronts and mitigate some of that assumed risk you take on as a cosmetologist.

And if you’re lucky, you can find cohesive, comprehensive insurance coverage that includes all these types of liability insurance in one policy.

If you’d like to peruse some of your options, we encourage you to take a look at what we have to offer—but listen, even if we’re not the right fit for you, you absolutely need to invest in cosmetology liability insurance.

Yep, we believe in this type of coverage so strongly we’re not even going to try to convince you to work with us (though, you should—we’ve got lots of member benefits alongside our inclusive liability coverage).

At the end of the day, coverage is going to be your saving grace if something bad should ever happen (actually or allegedly).

One of the wisest career moves you can make is investing in the peace of mind and protection that liability insurance can bring you.

Love our advice? We’re glad to hear it.

While we’re down to offer insurance answers at every turn, it’s important that we let you know that our blog isn’t all just nitty-gritty insurance details.

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