TIME, TRUST AND HAZARD - HAIRDRESSERS SYMBOLIC ROLES

Field work on five hairdressers in a small, suburban beauty shop shows that routine hazards provide an organizational justification to establish and maintain processes which create and sustain trust, both with coworkers and clients. The study analyzes data from interviews and weekly observations, and details the types of workers and clients; the hairdressers' roles as caretakers, friends and riskbearers; the necessity of establishing 'professional' identities with clients by scheduling appointments; and the construction of shared futures among 'regulars.' In the course of observing the symbolic and temporal processes associated with trust, hazards to hairdressers from chemicals, equipment, and procedures are examined, followed by the kinds of risks effecting clients from chemicals, equipment, and hairdressers' technical competence and moral responsibility, as framed by their 'honorific' professional roles.