A public safety expert in Moscow emphasized that relying on self-employed workers in beauty services, including manicures, beauty treatments, and hair styling, can pose health risks. These workers often operate outside the mandatory regulatory framework that governs individual entrepreneurs and LLCs, which means they may not be held accountable for customer health harms, according to a public news service report.
The legal analyst noted that if a customer experiences harm at the hands of a self-employed craftsman, consumer protection statutes may not apply, leaving the affected person to pursue remedies in civil court. The official highlighted that sanitary-epidemiological controls, fire safety, and other essential requirements generally apply to officially registered businesses such as LLCs and licensed individual entrepreneurs.
“A self-employed person is just a regular citizen and, legally, is not required to perform the same mandatory safeguards that others must,” the analyst explained. In practical terms, such a practitioner may skip disinfecting tools, washing hands, or sanitizing surfaces. This can lead to infections or other health issues, especially since freelance beauty salons often operate without formal licenses.
To address this issue, the expert proposed amending the rules to place self-employed workers on an equal footing with individual entrepreneurs who do not employ staff, effectively granting similar obligations. Under present regulations, a self-employed person is treated as a taxpayer earning professional income rather than as a formal economic entity with all related responsibilities.
In summary, from the Civil Code perspective, freelancers in this field are not treated as economic assets with the same legal protections and liabilities as registered businesses.
It is worth noting that Russia’s self-employed sector reported significant revenue in 2023, with a declaration of 1.4 trillion rubles. The discussion also touched on the possibility of equalizing freelancers with non-working retirees to support pension improvements, reflecting broader debates about social protections for independent workers.
There have been personal anecdotes from Moscow where improper manicure practices almost led to severe infections, underscoring the real-world stakes of this regulatory gap.