Hairdressing is associated with exposure to a variety of harmful agents which have been linked to
respiratory and musculoskeletal disorders in hairdressers. This study aimed to identify respiratory and
musculoskeletal disorders in hairdressers compared to office workers. A cross-sectional study was
conducted on 80 female hairdressers and 50 matched controls. A structured questionnaire was used to
collect information on personal and occupational data, hairdressing activities, the presence of respiratory
symptoms and the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in the past 12 months. Reported symptoms were
compared between hairdressers and controls. The associations between self-reported symptoms and
hairdressing activities were investigated. Hairdressers were more likely to report symptoms than controls
particularly for those who were older, with higher body mass index and longer duration of work as
hairdresser. There were significant associations between frequent hair treatments (bleaching, dye and
wave) and hand dermatitis (P < 0.001), running nose (P < 0.05), eye irritation (P < 0.01) and phlegm
(P < 0.05). Elbow pain and shoulder and back pain were the most prevalent musculoskeletal pains in the
past 12 months (13.8 and 12.5 % respectively), back and knee pains were the most frequent chronic pain
(7.5 %), hand and wrist pain led 12.5 % of hairdressers to visit a doctor and shoulder pain and back pain
indicated a period of sickness absence in 13.8 % of hairdressers. Musculoskeletal disorders were associated
with manual handling, prolonged standing, strenuous shoulder movements and awkward body posture.