The tactic of assigning letter grades like A, B, C and so forth isn’t only used for gauging academic achievement. This same rating system hitherto used almost exclusively by educators to rate students is now being applied as an ersatz measurement tool for grading the performance of all kinds of business establishments that cater direct to consumers.
Looking for a good restaurant in New York City? You might want to take a quick look at the door of the establishment first before asking the maitre d’ for a table. About 5 years ago the New York City Health Department began posting letter grades on restaurant doors and windows using stickers that look like those ubiquitous rectangular-shaped credit card acceptance tags that have adorned restaurant entrances for decades. Only these new stickers have report card style letter grades on them that correspond directly to performance quality based on city health inspectors’ ratings of the establishment for such things as cleanliness, proper food storage and preparation.
Given the success of this restaurant rating model in helping improve health and safety standards of city eateries, two NYC legislators have their sites set on replicating the ABC letter rating system for beauty salons, nail parlors, barber shops and so-called health spas which, according to top New York beauty salon and nail parlor injury lawyer Mitchel Ashley, vary greatly from store-to-store in terms of cleanliness and their proclivity for following the strict standards and procedures mandated by the State of New York to help insure the health and safety of customers who frequent these establishments.
Early in January of 2015, Ruben Diaz, Bronx Borough President, and Brooklyn Councilman Rafael Espinal, who chairs the City Council’s Committee On Consumer Affairs, introduced legislation to grade the cleanliness and competence of the city’s thousands of hair, nail, beauty and body-buffing salons.
“The procedures performed by staff on salon customers,” Ashley said, “are at times medical in nature. Yet it’s a ‘buyer beware’ atmosphere out there. Injuries caused by improperly-sterilized equipment, poor ventilation and a general lack of cleanliness can result in respiratory problems and skin infections for both customers and salon workers alike.”
According to Mr. Diaz, oversight of these businesses is currently very lax and this situation must change.
While fine-tuning the specifics of the legislation is still a work in progress,
Mr. Espinal’s office explained that the grading system would be similar to the Department of Health’s oversight of city eateries. It remains unclear, however, how much violations could cost salons. As an example, fines for restaurant violations range from $200 for minor offenses to $2,000 for critical infractions.
If you are someone you know has been injured in a beauty salon, nail parlor, spa or barbershop, you should immediately contact the top New York City beauty salon and nail parlor injury lawyers at The Ashley Law Firm.
