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Taking a precautionary approach to your health and well-being as a pet groomer is your first step. Here are some concerns:

Stress

You've heard it before, "Stress is a killer." Minimizing groomer stress is one reasons we publish so much info at PetGroomer.com and developed the business products for Grooming Business in a Box®. Better managed businesses lower ongoing stress. Please take us seriously and learn how to better manage your business. It will make a difference in your mental and physical well-being.

Now there are also physical factors that affect stress to the body. Let's take a look at some of them.

Hearing

Noise creates stress and hearing loss. Remarkable improvements in modern grooming equipment include noise reduction. Most home improvement centers today stock newer models of shop vacuums that are literally approaching a hum level compared to the screeching models of the past. Some businesses are installing central vacuums where pet hair and waste is swept to intakes around the salon and sucked into a container in the back of the business outdoors. Wow! What a pleasant difference! New models of pet dryers and other equipment are catching up with the noise reduction trend too. Be sure to consider noise production factors of all new equipment purchases.

Even a small grooming shop of 500 square feet can minimize noise. Most of the noise other than barking dogs is created in bathing areas. Using the "horseshoe shaped" bathing department floor plan illustrated in From Problems to Profits traps the majority of noise within a bathing department, along with a lot of flying shed. You can also learn more about this simple but effective design in the Salon Design Main Menu. However, the bathing department floor plan is not a replacement for purchasing modern low noise equipment.

Many grooming supply distributors sell industrial quality ear plugs to lower noise levels reaching the inner ear and which help prevent permanent hearing loss. You can find links to Distributor sponsors of PetGroomer.com on this page. Employers should remember that OSHA requires their taking measures to prevent permanent hearing loss in employees.

Barking dogs are always a problem, but that is something that can be controlled by learning pet behavior and training. Please do it! Barking dogs are certainly a detriment to client relations as well. You don't want to shout at customers on the phone or in your lobby.

We recommend groomers have their hearing checked annually. If there is a loss, consult with your doctor for advice.

Air Quality

I am always amazed how many career seekers never consider allergies to dog and cat hair. They become a groomer and the suffering starts. Consult with your doctor before becoming a groomer if you have a history of respiratory ailments. Your doctor should know that you groom pets and do breathe in some dirt, dander, hair etc. We suggest you implement all of the preventative measures below.

The air quality of grooming shops large and small quickly degenerates every working day. Modern grooming equipment is helping to turn the tide. Many groomers report that using clipper vacuums has greatly reduced the amount of airborne hair, dirt, dander and other loosened material trapped in pet coats that would otherwise be subject to becoming airborne.

We suggest groomers perform pre-bathing duties like ear cleaning, nail clipping, coat removal for very dirty and matted pets, brushing and combing in a dedicated area. Doing these chores near blowing dryers air lifts a lot of this material. Vacuum it up after every pet, and wash work counters with a sterilizing agent.

Groomers are increasingly favoring using disposable face masks to avoid inhalation of airborne debris and irritants. In addition, the use of plastic eye masks while clipping nails is becoming popular. It's easy to get a small shard of nail in your eyes without them. Most of these measures are appropriate to perform in the dedicated pre-bathing area described above. Certainly you want to consider these measures for those pets that arrive very soiled and matted.

Purify the air you breathe with HEPA air purifiers of adequate size to handle the square footage assigned to each one. Remember, your environment is extreme. You need to change the filters more often than a home environment. There are newer models that operate far more quietly than air purifiers of the past, and some even remind you when to change filters.

Many grooming supply distributors sell industrial quality air purifiers. You can find links to Distributor sponsors of PetGroomer.com on this page. Employers should remember that OSHA requires their taking measures to prevent permanent hearing loss in employees.

Wrists

The carpel tunnel syndrome is well-known to many groomers. Get the medical care you need. If you suffer from the syndrome and are not yet a groomer, beware and consult your doctor first. There are groomers who have groomed pets for decades with little or no problem though, therefore, the condition is unique to groups of individuals. However, training is another major key.

Without proper training, most groomers would never think to hold and use scissors in ways that minimize repetitive motion injury. How you hold a comb or brush and clippers is subject to the same warnings.

Fortunately we have seen wonderful preventative training provided by some grooming schools for all grooming tools. However, this training is not widely available. On occasion it is available at grooming trade shows. We strongly encourage you this training. It makes a world of difference. We post articles as we can on this subject at Breed Grooming Basics 101, but what this industry needs is a well-produced video providing preventative measure instruction. Articles alone do not provide the illustrated methods to hold combs, clippers, scissors and other tools properly.

Some groomers use wrist supports as a form of protection. Many grooming supply distributors sell industrial quality wrist supports. You can find links to Distributor sponsors of PetGroomer.com on this page. Employers should remember that OSHA requires their taking measures to prevent repetitive motion injury in their employees.

Pet Waste & Laundry

The Madson Safety and Supervision Program suggests that all solid pet waste be placed in a sealed plastic bag. This measure immediate stops the spread of foul orders and the opportunity for the waste to dirty other areas. If you dump these wastes along with pet hair into larger garbage bags, and then into a commercial dumpster, other commercial building tenants and sanitation workers are likely to give you a big thumbs up and no problems.

If you are using cotton towels for cleaning pet waste, wash them in industrial grade soaps and add a similar quality disinfectant. We actually used a hospital grade disinfectant developed for laundering hospital bed sheets and towels. We used this agent for laundering our uniforms, drying towels, hand towels and cleaning towels.

Lifting Pets

How many groomers hurt their back lifting dogs improperly? Many. If you must lift a heavy and/or large dog, get the assistance of another groomer or assistant. Both of you should lift properly bending at the knees and keeping your back straight.

Advances in grooming equipment has seen the addition of ramps to lead dogs into tubs, but experienced groomers will tell you that not every dog likes these ramps. The result is that you are back to having to lift the pet into the tub, with assistance hopefully.

Find a way to spend a little more and get hydraulic or electric motor grooming tables that lower as close to the floor as possible. You can lead the dog onto the table without lifting it, and then raise the table top slowly to not scare the pet. What a relief for your back.

If you used stacked cages, do not place heavy or large pets in anything other that the lowest level of cages. Lead them in and out without having to lift them into their assigned cage.

Many groomers working alone today have a weight limit for dogs they groom. The average is somewhere between 25 and 30 pounds. However, you may find your business will be limited from growing as large as you like. We always recommend having 1-2 employees at least in a small business. The extra set of hands is great for lifting pets on occasion.

Apparel

Women groomers often complain that small hairs find their way to sensitive areas like their chest area and cause irritation. We suggest all groomers and staff wear professional smocks and aprons. Their design has become quite appealing in the last few years, as well as practical. Hair slides right off the modern fabrics, and the look of uniformed staff and management adds a professional touch to your business. Don't allow any employee to wear open toed shoes anywhere in a grooming business.

Many grooming supply distributors sell groomer apparel. You can find links to groomer apparel manufacturers here, or suppliers here.

Posture

Groomers usually stand most of their working day. A great pair of shoes designed for standing can make a welcome difference. We even suggest you have your feet and posture characteristics analyzed by a company such as www.goodfeet.com. They have you stand up in take an impression of your foot against the ground. You would be amazed how some people put more weight on the left, right, back, front etc. For a very reasonable cost they make a shoe insert to evenly distribute your weight on feet. What a life changing experience this can be even for non-groomers. Some people that have been plagued with back problems for years experience an utter turnaround just with these inserts. You can also place fatigue mats at your workstation which make standing on concrete or tile floors much more pleasing.

First Aid

Most grooming businesses do not stock an employee first aid kit that meets OSHA standards. We suggest you consult with a supplier and get the right kit. It makes the difference in an emergency.

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