Dubai: Nearly half of the 3,200 salons registered with Dubai municipality were slapped with fines totaling Dh1.1 million for not adhering to hygienic practices, an official disclosed.
According to the municipality, 1,241 men and women’s salon were found guilty of poor hygiene practices when they were inspected from January to May 2016.
“Since January, there were 1,241 men and women’s salons that were fined for not adhering to hygienic practices. This amounted to Dh1.1 million in fines,” Marwan Al Mohammad, director of Health and Safety Department at Dubai Municipality, was quoted as saying by Gulf News.
Al Mohammad said the main violations included the failure to sterilize tools, absence or reuse of disposable items, and poor hygiene standards.
An awareness campaign dubbed ‘Be Aware’ has since been launched to compel salons to keep up with Dubai standards.
“The campaign targets salon owners as well, since they have to be aware of the safety and health requirements. And it is their responsibility to inform staff about the regulations and to ensure that they are carrying them out,” said Al Mohammad.
Throughout the campaign, he said municipal inspectors will be targeting salons in Deira and Bur Dubai, in addition to those found in shopping malls and co-ops, reported Gulf News.
Additionally, municipal officials will also be distributing leaflets to shoppers in malls on a daily basis from 9am to 11am to inform residents about their consumer rights and the importance of using disposable tools in salons.
Customers who witness unhygienic practices in Dubai’s salons are urged to contact the municipality’s hotline immediately at 800900, the paper added.
