by Brenda Fishbaugh
Along with the tanning season comes the cold and flu season. Nothing is worse than your staff out sick—or your tanners—when it’s time to get everyone tan! There are a number of things a tanning salon owner can do to reduce the amount of colds and flu that get passed around at a tanning salon.
First and foremost, a flu vaccination for each of your staff will help reduce sickness in your salon. “There’s no question that the flu vaccine is the single best way to avoid catching or passing the virus,” said Dr. Jane Siegel, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Siegel feels that washing your hands is the second best way you can cut down infections. “Rub your hands together for the length of time it takes to sing the ‘Happy Birthday’ song twice.”
Doctors also are still recommending anti-microbial gel for washing hands, despite reports that now there are more “super bugs” that are resistant to the antibacterial hand and dish cleansers.
Dr. Mark Kimpel, an ophthalmologist and research doctor with Indiana University Medical School, states, “Most people are aware that the common cold, which is caused by the rhinovirus, can be spread by coming in contact with contaminated surfaces. While it is certainly true that the cold virus can spread from the hands to the mouth or nose, it can also spread from the hand to the eye. That redness and puffiness you get sometimes with a cold? It is caused by the cold virus infecting the conjunctiva, the pink lining of the eye. Once the virus gets into the eye, it can easily spread to the nose and throat.”
Furthermore, in 4 studies done on healthy volunteers (Am J Epidemiol. 1982 Nov;116(5):828-33. ), investigators found that spraying the contaminated surface with a commercial disinfectant reduced, but did not eliminate, the spread of virus (8% of surfaces remained infectious). Dr. Kimpel concludes that “the only way to absolutely eliminate the risk of transmission of the cold virus is to not come in contact with an infected surface, even one that has been ‘cleaned.’ So consider supplying disposable eyewear to your clients and using paper towels when cleaning salon surfaces.”
Wow, we all think that we should keep our hands away from our mouth, but your EYES also play a key role in transmitting disease. So make sure your eye protection is stored in a clean place. This isn’t laid out on a towel in your salon! A sneeze spreads EIGHT FEET, so your entire counter is infected with just one sneeze!
Keep your salon super clean, keep your eyewear super clean and have a super healthy tanning season!
