There are many jobs which come to mind immediately when we think of dangerous workplaces. Construction sites are often the location of serious injuries from falls or incidents involving heavy equipment. Factory workers are at risk of becoming entangled in powerful machinery. But some professions conceal less obvious dangers.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently released a statement concerning the dangers posed to salon workers by formaldehyde used in certain hair straightening products. OSHA has cited salons in Pennsylvania, as well as other states for the employers' failure to take the proper precautions to prevent an overexposure to the dangerous chemical.

Formaldehyde can cause serious health problems including allergic reactions and irritation of the eyes, lungs, and nose. It is also a cancer hazard. Salons that use products containing formaldehyde are required to take necessary steps to keep their works safe from expose to dangerous levels of the chemical. They must monitor air quality and provide protective equipment to their workers.

The OSHA statement also noted that not only are salon employees at risk but also the employees of the manufacturing facilities that produce these hair care products.

Workplace hazard such as this, chemical exposure at a salon, can be more difficult to identify than the hazard that are present at more industrial facilities. Expose to many types of toxins or dangerous chemicals can also have a cumulative effect on workers health. Some substances that may not pose a great risk for a person only exposed to them once can have serious or even fatal consequences when an employee is exposed to them on a daily basis.

Source: OSHA, "US Department of Labor continues to cite beauty salons and manufacturers for formaldehyde exposure from hair smoothing products," Dec. 2012