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May 04, 2023

Public Health Requirements for Personal Service Settings

Public Health ServicesCall 905-546-2063 orEmail [email protected] You must

Public Health ServicesCall 905-546-2063 orEmail [email protected]

You must notify Public Health Services at 905-546-2063

Beauty treatments and body art are referred to as "personal services" and places that offer these services are called Personal Service Settings (PSS).

Personal Service Settings for beauty treatment and body art include:

Public health requirements for personal service settings are in place to protect the operators’ and clients’ health. It is important that proper infection control practices are followed at all times to reduce the risk of infections such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV, as well as other bacterial and fungal infections. You do not have to see blood or body fluids on equipment or surfaces for infections to spread.

Under the regulation, owners/operators of a personal service setting must provide notice if they are:

It is prohibited to sell, offer for sale or provide at a PSS:

Under the Health Protection & Promotion Act, scleral tattooing or implantation of eye jewellery under the conjunctiva is prohibited.

This video reviews general requirements from the Ontario Regulation 136/18: Personal Service Settings.

During an inspection, the inspector will observe your practices, check your equipment and premises to make sure that the requirements outlined in the Personal Service Settings regulation are met and infection prevention and control practices are followed.

Public health inspectors check personal service settings for:

Public Health Requirements for Operators in Vietnamese(PDF, 127.24 KB)

The personal service setting must have at least one sink for hand washing and one sink for cleaning instruments.

There must be at least one sink used only for hand washing within the premises of the personal service setting that is,

Hands must be washed before starting a procedure, after finishing and after any breaks in service. A 70% alcohol-based hand rub can be used when hands are not visibly dirty.

Gloves should be worn when:

Every personal service setting in which reusable equipment is used must have at least one sink, that is not the hand wash sink that:

General Rules for Cleaning and Disinfecting Instruments

City of Hamilton Public Health Services works with owners and operators to ensure that services offered are done in a safe and sanitary manner with a goal to prevent transmission of infections. Public Health Services recommends that staff working in personal service settings receive a Hepatitis B vaccine.

To protect yourself and your client, it is important for you to follow proper infection control practices when providing services.

This video reviews general requirements for tattooing from the Ontario Regulation 136/18: Personal Service Settings.

Requirements for hand washing and glove use for body art or tattoo services:

Requirements for infection control for body art or tattoo services:

Requirements for client safety for body art and tattoo services:

When performing body piercing, instruments can become contaminated with blood or body fluids. It is important that proper infection control practices are followed when providing services.

This video reviews general requirements for any premises that offer body and ear piercing services as per the Ontario Regulation 136/18: Personal Service Settings.

Requirements for hand washing and glove use for body piercing services :

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

Follow this procedure for piercing:

Requirements for client safety for body piercing services:

Requirements for hand washing and glove use for ear lobe piercing services:

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

Follow this procedure for preparing ears for piercing:

Requirements for client safety for ear piercing services:

Requirements for hand washing and glove use for electrolysis services:

Requirements for cleaning and disinfecting of tools and equipment used for electrolysis services:

Requirements for client safety for electrolysis:

Instruments and equipment used for hairdressing and barbering can become contaminated with blood or body fluids. Contaminated or improperly reprocessed equipment can cause infection in clients and staff.

This video reviews general requirements for barbering and hairdressing services outlined in the Ontario Regulation 136/18: Personal Service Settings.

Requirements for hand washing and gloves for hair salons and barbershops:

While the infection risk from barbering and hairstyling is low, the use of a razor carries the risk of cutting the client.

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

Requirement for client safety for hair salons and barbershops:

Instruments and equipment used for waxing, manicures and pedicures can become contaminated with blood or body fluids which can transmit infectious diseases.

This video discusses cleaning and disinfection requirements for instruments and equipment used for manicures and pedicures as required under the Ontario Regulation 136/18: Personal Service Settings.

Requirements for hand washing and glove use for nail services:

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

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

Requirement for client safety in nail salons and waxing rooms