Salons in tornado-prone regions must prepare staff to protect themselves and clients during severe weather events. Tornadoes can develop rapidly and provide limited warning time, making advance training essential for effective response. OSHA's General Duty Clause and emergency action plan standards require employers to address workplace emergencies, and tornadoes represent a significant emergency in regions where they occur. Staff trained in tornado response procedures can move clients and themselves to safety within the critical minutes between a tornado warning and the arrival of severe weather. This guide covers tornado preparedness training for salon staff.
Tornado watches and warnings often provide only minutes of advance notice before dangerous conditions arrive. In a salon environment, this limited time window presents significant challenges. Multiple clients may be in various stages of service throughout the salon. Some clients may be immobilized at shampoo stations. Others may have chemical treatments that cannot be interrupted without consequence. Children and elderly clients may require physical assistance to reach shelter. Salon employees who have not been trained on tornado response will lose precious seconds trying to determine what to do rather than executing practiced procedures.
The physical characteristics of many salon buildings increase tornado vulnerability. Salons often have large plate glass windows at the front of the building. Strip mall locations may lack interior rooms suitable for shelter. Some salons occupy buildings with flat commercial roofs that are susceptible to wind damage. Portable buildings, which some salons use for overflow space, provide essentially no protection from tornadoes.
Salon-specific hazards during tornadoes include flying glass from mirrors and windows, chemical containers that can break and release hazardous materials, sharp instruments that become projectiles, and electrical hazards from damaged wiring. Hot styling tools that are in use when a tornado strikes present burn and fire risks if they fall onto combustible surfaces during or after the storm.
OSHA considers tornadoes a recognized hazard in regions where they occur. Employers in tornado-prone areas who fail to develop response procedures and train employees are not meeting their obligation to provide a workplace free from recognized hazards under the General Duty Clause.
Tornado preparedness requirements come from OSHA standards, state occupational safety programs, and local emergency management agencies.
OSHA emergency action plan requirements at 29 CFR 1910.38 apply to tornado response as a type of workplace emergency. The plan must include procedures for emergency reporting, evacuation or shelter-in-place, accounting for personnel, and rescue and medical duties. Tornado shelter-in-place procedures should be incorporated into the salon's emergency action plan.
OSHA's General Duty Clause requires employers in tornado-prone regions to address the hazard through preparedness measures including employee training, shelter identification, and response procedures.
State and local emergency management requirements vary by jurisdiction. Some states require commercial occupancies to have severe weather plans. Local emergency management agencies often provide tornado preparedness resources and may conduct community-wide tornado drills. Many jurisdictions operate outdoor warning siren systems that employees should be trained to recognize.
Building code requirements in tornado-prone regions may include storm shelter provisions for new construction. Existing buildings may not have dedicated storm shelters, requiring employers to identify the best available shelter areas within the existing structure.
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Severe weather preparedness reflects the emergency management that the MmowW assessment evaluates. Salons that prepare for tornadoes protect their staff and clients during dangerous weather events.
Identify the safest area in your salon for tornado shelter. Verify that all employees know where to take shelter. Check whether your salon has a weather alert radio or app that provides tornado warnings. Confirm that employees understand the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning. Review whether your emergency action plan includes tornado-specific procedures. Assess how quickly all employees and clients could move to the shelter area.
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Try it free →Step 1: Identify Shelter Areas
Survey your salon to identify the safest areas for tornado shelter. The ideal shelter area is an interior room on the lowest floor, away from windows, doors, and exterior walls. Bathrooms, storage rooms, and interior hallways are typically the safest locations. Avoid areas with large plate glass windows, exterior walls, and rooms under flat roofs. If no fully interior room exists, identify the area farthest from windows and exterior walls. Mark the designated shelter area clearly and ensure the path to it is unobstructed. Calculate the capacity of the shelter area to determine whether it can accommodate the maximum number of employees and clients who may be in the salon.
Step 2: Establish a Warning and Notification System
Obtain a NOAA Weather Radio with Specific Area Message Encoding that provides automated alerts for your county. Install a weather alert app on at least one staff member's phone as a backup system. Designate a weather watcher during severe weather season to monitor conditions when watches are issued. Establish a clear internal notification system, such as a specific verbal command or tone, that signals all staff to begin tornado shelter procedures immediately. Train all employees to recognize the outdoor warning sirens used in your community and to understand that sirens mean a tornado warning is in effect and shelter should be taken immediately.
Step 3: Develop Shelter-in-Place Procedures
Create step-by-step shelter-in-place procedures that can be executed quickly. When a tornado warning is issued or conditions warrant immediate shelter, all employees should guide clients to the designated shelter area immediately. Clients at shampoo stations should be helped upright and guided to shelter. Clients under dryers should be unplugged and guided to shelter. Clients with chemical treatments should be wrapped with a towel and guided to shelter as-is. Employees should turn off all heating tools and unplug major electrical equipment if time permits, but evacuation to shelter takes absolute priority over equipment shutdown. In the shelter area, everyone should assume a protective position away from walls and windows, crouching low and covering their heads.
Step 4: Train Staff on Response Procedures
Conduct training for all employees on the complete tornado response sequence. Begin with recognition of warning signs including darkening skies, large hail, loud continuous rumbling, and funnel clouds. Train on the difference between a tornado watch, meaning conditions are favorable for tornadoes, and a tornado warning, meaning a tornado has been sighted or indicated by radar and shelter should be taken immediately. Practice the shelter-in-place procedures with timed drills. Train employees on how to communicate calmly and clearly with clients during the transition to shelter. Address the management of clients who resist or panic. Include training on what to do after the tornado passes, including damage assessment, first aid, and communication with emergency services.
Step 5: Address Client Management Challenges
Train staff on managing specific client situations during tornado shelter procedures. Clients who are unfamiliar with tornadoes may not understand the urgency. Clients who refuse to leave their belongings should be firmly but calmly told that personal items can be retrieved after the danger passes. Clients with mobility limitations may need physical assistance reaching the shelter area. Clients with children will need help managing their children during the transition. Clients with active chemical treatments will need reassurance that the treatment will be addressed as soon as safely possible. Practice scenarios that include these client management challenges during training exercises.
Step 6: Conduct Drills and Maintain Readiness
Conduct tornado shelter drills at least twice annually during severe weather season. Time each drill to measure how quickly everyone can reach the shelter area. The goal is to move all employees and clients from their current positions to the shelter area within two to three minutes. Debrief after each drill to identify bottlenecks and improvements. Maintain emergency supplies in the shelter area including a first aid kit, flashlights, batteries, water, a battery-powered weather radio, and blankets. Review and update procedures at the beginning of each severe weather season. Document all drills and training sessions.
Tornadoes can occasionally strike with little or no warning, particularly at night or when weather systems move rapidly. If a tornado is upon the building without time for organized shelter procedures, employees and clients should immediately get as low as possible and protect their heads and necks. Move away from windows and glass mirrors. Get under the sturdiest available furniture such as styling stations or reception desks. In the open salon floor, drop to the floor and cover your head with your arms. If in a hallway, lie flat and cover your head. Never attempt to run outside during a tornado, as flying debris outside is the primary cause of tornado injuries. After the tornado passes, check for injuries before moving. Be cautious of broken glass, fallen ceiling tiles, damaged electrical wiring, spilled chemicals, and structural damage. Evacuate the building if it appears damaged and account for all employees and clients. Call emergency services if anyone is injured or trapped.
Many salons operate in strip mall locations that present specific tornado preparedness challenges. Strip mall construction typically features large plate glass storefronts, open floor plans without interior rooms, and shared walls with adjacent businesses. To improve tornado safety in a strip mall salon, first identify the innermost area farthest from the storefront glass and exterior walls. Bathrooms and storage rooms, even if small, provide better protection than the open salon floor. If no interior room exists, the area immediately behind the back wall or in the corridor behind the salon may offer better protection. Coordinate with adjacent businesses to determine whether their spaces have interior rooms that could serve as shared shelter. Consider installing a safe room or storm shelter if the building owner permits modification. At minimum, keep heavy blankets or mattresses available that can be used to protect against flying glass and debris. The most important preparedness step is identifying the best available shelter location and training staff to reach it quickly.
A tornado shelter kit for a salon should include items that address the most likely needs during and immediately after a tornado. Include a battery-powered NOAA Weather Radio for monitoring conditions after the tornado passes. Include flashlights with extra batteries since power outages are common during and after tornadoes. A well-stocked first aid kit should include supplies for treating cuts from broken glass, which are the most common tornado injuries in commercial buildings. Include bottled water for at least the maximum number of occupants. Keep a whistle or air horn that can be used to signal rescuers if the building collapses. Include work gloves and sturdy shoes that can be used when navigating debris after the storm. Keep a list of emergency phone numbers including local emergency management, the building owner, and utilities. Include basic tools such as a wrench for shutting off gas valves if needed. Store the kit in the designated shelter area and check its contents at the beginning of each severe weather season.
Tornado preparedness training gives your salon staff the practiced response they need when severe weather threatens. Evaluate your salon's safety practices with the free hygiene assessment tool and develop your tornado preparedness using this guide. For comprehensive salon compliance management, visit MmowW Shampoo. 安全で、愛される。 Loved for Safety.
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