Nottingham City Council is leading on a countywide scheme to improve and maintain hygiene and safety standards within the tattooing, semi-permanent make up and cosmetic piercing industry.
The Nottinghamshire Hygiene Accreditation Scheme (HAS) aims to improve and maintain hygiene standards and minimise the risk of infection and infectious disease that can come from treatments. Similar to the Food Hygiene Rating scheme, this will give people information on the hygiene of a business to help them choose where to have their treatments.
The scheme has been designed by Environmental Health officers from councils within Nottinghamshire, following consultation with local tattooing and cosmetic piercing practitioners.
The scheme assesses the hygiene and safety performance of the participating premises against criteria (known as the ‘Rating Schedule’) based around good practice. The rating schedule has been devised using nationally recognised guidance including the Tattoo and Body Piercing Toolkit produced by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH).
HAS is a voluntary scheme and anyone who signs up will be visited by Environmental Health Officers and be awarded with one of the following ratings:
- ‘0’ – ‘Urgent Improvement Required’
- ‘1’ – ‘Major Improvement Required’
- ‘2’ – ‘Improvement Required’
- ‘3’ – ‘Satisfactory’
- ‘4’ – ‘Very Good’
- ‘5’ – ‘Excellent’
Businesses offering the following treatments can apply to join the scheme: Tattooing Semi-permanent make up and Cosmetic body piercing.
The scheme will be run across Nottingham, Ashfield, Gedling, Broxtowe, Bassetlaw, Newark and Sherwood, Mansfield and Rushcliffe.
Cllr Toby Neal, Portfolio Holder for Community and Customer Service, said: “Nottingham City Council, in collaboration with all Nottinghamshire councils, has led in the development of a Hygiene Accreditation Scheme for tattoo and body piercing businesses. These businesses have been consulted as part of the development of the scheme and gave it widespread support.
“Invasive body modifications and similar beauty treatments can present a risk of infection and ill-health, particularly where treatments are not carried out in a suitable or hygienic environment. More people are choosing body modifications so it is important that people are reassured that appropriate hygiene and safety standards are being maintained.”
To enable businesses to achieve the best possible score, there are two seminars being held in Nottingham and Mansfield on the 14th and 16th May 2018. For more information, please contact Nottingham City Council’s Safer Business Team on 0115 876 1494.