Public Health Requirements for Personal Service Settings

Infection Control

Requirements for infection control for body art or tattoo services include:

• Using pre-packaged single-use, sterile needles and put in a sharps container immediately after use. 
• Sterilizing instruments in an approved autoclave or dry heat sterilizer.
• Spore testing your autoclave or dry heat sterilizer biweekly.  Reporting failed spore tests to Public Health immediately at 905-546-2063.
• Opening sterile, packaged equipment only when you are ready to begin a procedure. Get supplies and set up the work area immediately before starting the procedure.
• Using disposable razors for shaving the area and discarding immediately after use into a sharps container.
• Cleaning clients skin with a skin antiseptic such as iodine, isopropyl alcohol or chlorhexidine gluconate.
• Applying creams, lotions and ointments with single-use applicators. Throw out the applicator after use.
• Cleaning and sterilizing the entire bar assembly after attaching needles to bars. Put the entire unit into a sharps container immediately after a tattoo procedure.
• Taking apart any reusable equipment, including tubes, and manually clean or clean in an ultrasonic cleaner, then disinfecting and sterilizing as required.
• Cleaning and disinfecting clip cords, spray bottles and motor frames after each client or when they are visibly dirty or cover with a disposable plastic sheath and change between clients.
• Putting water for rinsing between colours into disposable cups. Throw out liquid and cups after each client.
• Throwing out any leftover items such as ink, petroleum jelly, tissue and stencils in a garbage container after each client, even if the items have not been used during the procedure. Do not put the item back into the original container.
• Cleaning new disposable ink caps in soapy water and let them air dry. Soaking new disposable ink caps in 70% isopropyl alcohol for 10 minutes and allow to air dry before using. Store in a clean and disinfected container with a lid.
• If you use a micropigmentation pen or instrument, clean and sterilize the needle holder or throw out after each use.
• Public Health recommends body art workers get the Hepatitis B vaccination.

Client Safety

Requirements for client safety for body art and tattoo services include:

• Providing clients with verbal and written after-care instructions such as:
  • Clean hands immediately before touching tattooed area.
  • Expected healing time of the site.
  • Possible complications and their signs and symptoms.
  • Advice on how to deal with slight redness, pain or swelling.
  • Recommend consultation with a doctor if the problem does not improve within 24 hours. 

• Do not tattoo within six inches of inflamed or infected skin.
• Covering the tattooed area with a clean, non-stick dressing.

Cleaning and Disinfection of Tools & Instruments

Requirements for cleaning and disinfecting tools and instruments used for body piercing services include:

• Using single-use, disposable, sterile needles and put in an approved sharps container immediately after use.
• Disinfecting or sterilizing all reusable equipment. You must clean reusable equipment manually or in an ultrasonic cleaner after each use, then disinfect or sterilize as required.
• Opening sterile, packaged equipment when you are ready to pierce clients. Sterile equipment includes pliers, forceps, clamps and needle pushers.
• Using only sterile jewellery for piercing.
• Cleaning and individually packaging and sterilizing jewellery you put together or modify.

• Using a no-touch technique to avoid direct contact with the piercing site or sterile piercing equipment.
• Using sterile, single-use and disposable closed ended receiving tubes.
• Cleaning open-ended receiving tubes with a wire brush and sterilize them between uses. 
• Buying sterile, single-use disposable items if you are using the dermal punch method. You cannot reuse these.  You must put them in an approved sharps container immediately after use.
• Putting corks into a sharps container with the needle attached after use, if you use corks to ‘catch’ the needle.

Piercing Procedure

Follow this procedure for piercing:

• Clean the site to be pierced with an approved skin antiseptic. 
• Mark where to pierce with an iodine tip pen before piercing. Allow ink to dry.
• Clean the site with the approved skin antiseptic just before piercing.
• Pierce the site.

Client Safety

Requirements for client safety for body piercing services include:

• Checking client’s skin before piercing. Do not pierce inflamed or infected skin or skin with a rash.
• Providing clients with verbal and written after-care instructions such as: 
• Keep the pierced area dry; normal bathing and showering are permitted
• Clean hands immediately before touching jewellery
• Expected healing time
• Possible complications, and their signs and symptoms
• How to deal with slight redness, pain or swelling
• Recommend calling their doctor if the problem does not improve within 24 hours
• Advise clients not to remove jewellery from a potentially infected piercing and to call their doctor

Hand Washing & Gloves

Requirements for hand washing and gloves for ear lobe piercing services include:

• Wearing single-use disposable gloves on both hands during the piercing
• Washing hands before and immediately after the piercing.

Cleaning and Disinfection of Tools & Instruments

Requirements for cleaning and disinfecting tools and instruments used for ear piercing services include:

• Not using ear-piercing instruments on any part of the body except the fleshy part of the ear lobes.
• We recommend using single-use disposable adapters.
• Cleaning and disinfecting piercing instruments with disposable parts after each client.
• Supplying pre-packaged and sterile jewellery.
• Not allowing jewellery intended for piercing to be sampled or returned.
• Not spraying sterile earrings with disinfectant before piercing.
• Throwing out all disposable parts after each client.
• Opened packages of jewellery are no longer sterile and cannot be used to pierce the skin.
• Storing the piercing instrument in a sanitary manner to prevent contamination.

Ear Preparation Procedure

Follow this procedure for preparing ears for piercing:

• Clean the ear lobes with an approved skin antiseptic.
• Mark the site with an iodine tip pen before piercing. Allow ink to dry.
• Clean the ear lobes with the approved skin antiseptic just before piercing.
• Pierce ear lobes.

Client Safety

Requirements for client safety for ear piercing services include:

• Giving clients verbal and written ear piercing after care instructions such as:
  • Keep the pierced area dry; normal bathing and showering are permitted
  • Clean hands immediately before touching or turning jewellery
  • Expected healing time
  • Possible complications and their signs and symptoms
  • How to deal with slight redness, pain or swelling
  • Recommend calling their doctor if the problem does not improve within 24 hours
  • Advise client not to remove jewellery from a potentially infected piercing and to call their doctor for instructions

Hand Washing & Gloves

Requirements for hand washing and gloves for electrolysis services include:

• Washing your hands before and after each client or treatment, before and after wearing gloves and in between breaks in service.
• Changing single-use gloves between clients and between breaks in treatment of the same client.

Cleaning and Sterilization of Tools & Equipment

Requirements for cleaning and sterilization of tools and equipment used for electrolysis services include:

• Needles must be sterile, pre-packaged and single-use.
• Heat produced by the current passing through an electrolysis needle is not sufficient to sterilize it.
• Cleaning and disinfecting all equipment used during an electrolysis procedure after each client.
• Tools used to expose the ingrown hair must be sterile. You can use sterile single-use needles or lancets for this procedure.
• Tools such as tweezers used to pull out ingrown hairs must be clean and disinfected after each client. 
• Cleaning and disinfecting equipment that holds sterile items such as tweezers or epilator needle cap/tip between clients.
• Throwing away items after each client that cannot be cleaned or disinfected after a single-use such as applicators, swabs or cotton towels.
• Covering any work or equipment surface that may be contaminated during electrolysis with a plastic sheath and change after every client. 
• Cleaning and disinfecting the work or equipment surface at the end of the day and when it is contaminated.
• Cleaning and disinfecting all items that you cannot cover with a plastic sheath after each client.
• Cleaning and disinfecting clip cords after each client.
• Placing used needles, sharps and razors into an approved sharps container immediately after use.
• Cleaning all tools and instruments thoroughly before disinfecting or sterilizing.

Client Safety

A requirement for client safety for electrolysis services includes:

• Do not treat infected or inflamed skin. 

Cleaning and Disinfection of Tools & Instruments

While the infection risk of barbering and hairstyling is low, procedures involving the use of a razor carry the risk of cutting the client. The open wound may allow entry of microorganisms.

The potential sources of these microorganisms are:

• Contaminated or improperly reprocessed equipment
• The client’s own bacteria
• Contaminated environment
• Unclean hands touching the cut area.

Infection Control

Requirements for infection control for barber shops and hair salons include:

• All reusable instruments which contact the client’s skin (e.g. brushes, clips, capes) must be cleaned and disinfected between clients.
• It is highly recommended that straight blades with single-use disposable razors are used for shaving. Straight razors with fixed blades are not recommended.
• Single use, disposable blades used for shaving must be discarded in a sharps container immediately after use.
• The cradle which holds the razor in place, when used for shaving skin, must be cleaned and disinfected with an intermediate or high level disinfectant after each use.
• Crochet hooks used for cap highlights must be cleaned and disinfected after each use. If a hook nicks a client’s skin, it must be cleaned and then intermediate or high level disinfected.
• Styptic product is to be applied in powder or liquid form using a disposable applicator. Styptic pencils are not to be used.
• All disinfectant solutions must be made fresh daily, according to manufacturer’s instructions.
• All reusable items must be cleaned and rinsed before they are placed in a disinfectant solution, otherwise the solution will become contaminated. Items must be fully immersed in the solution for the appropriate contact time.

Client Safety

A requirement for client safety for hair salons and barbershops includes:

• Do not provide service to a client with head lice or signs of fungal infection of the scalp or neck. Advise the client to see a health care provider for assessment.

Cleaning and Disinfection of Tools & Instruments

Requirements for cleaning and disinfecting instruments and tools used for nail services include:

• Cleaning and scrubbing instruments such as clippers, nippers and metal or crystal files with soap and water and disinfecting with a disinfectant such as 70% isopropyl alcohol after each client.
• Cleaning and disinfecting any instrument that breaks the skin during a procedure with a high-level disinfectant.
• Throwing out single-use instruments that cannot be cleaned and disinfected immediately after use. This includes instruments made of foam or sponge such as files, pumice stones and buffers.
• Reusing foot paddles if you clean and disinfect them after each client.
• Disposing of razors and pedicure blades in an approved sharps container immediately after use. These can only be used one time.
• Applying styptic products in powder or liquid form with a disposable applicator.
• Cleaning footbaths with detergent and water after each use and then disinfect with a disinfectant according to the manufacturer’s directions, usually 10 minutes. Circulate both cleaning and disinfectant solutions through the footbath’s circulating system.
• Removing and cleaning screens every day in foot baths with screens, followed by disinfection.
• Cleaning all tools and instruments thoroughly before disinfecting or sterilizing.

Public Health Requirements for Manicures, Pedicures and Nail Treatments in Vietnamese(PDF, 127.24 KB)