Mike DePuew, owner of Beach ‘N Tans in Mocksville, NC, has owned tanning salons for 21 years and has taught certification classes to tanning salons in North Carolina.
“I spend a lot of time helping salons get ready for inspections. They are always surprised what inspectors find important.
The Number #1 hot button is lamp compatibility. The salon must show they are within 10% of the lamp recommended for each bed. You need to have this with your Bed Manuals. It is Federal law and you can’t mess around with this. Make sure your employees know where this manual is.
Our Number #2 hot button is eye protection. You need to have a written sheet for how to clean eyewear. You need to have quat strips to test your eyewear solution, if you are providing shared eye protection. Your staff MUST ask for eyewear every time someone comes in. We ask, ‘May I see your eye protection, please?” If they don’t have them, we give them disposables and say, ‘Eye protection is your sunglasses for INSIDE. You must wear them.’”
Mike explained that the 3rd hot button is certified and trained staff. “If you don’t have a certificate for each person working in your salon, the inspector can stop operations on the spot. Why would you not have one or two or three certifications in different fields for each staff member? They will do a better job for you if they know more.”
I was surprised that the 4th hot button was Client History. Inspectors look at your system to make sure no one has tanned more than once in 24 hours and you are starting them out at a low amount and you have release forms on file.
The 5th critical piece is Signage. You must post the federal sign in each room and your beds must be labeled appropriately. You need to have eyewear information up.
Another surprise was that inspectors often look for false claims. “If you have signs or posters up that tanning gives you a base tan or prevents cancer or improves mood, your inspector may ask to have them removed.”
Would your salon pass if you were inspected today?
