Personal service setting special event guidelines

These guidelines are intended to provide directions to vendors of special events who plan on providing personal services, such as hairstyling, barbering, tattooing, microblading, micropigmentation, piercings, manicures, pedicures, aesthetics, etc., to members of the public or to industry representatives. Special events can include, but are not limited to, fairs, expos, and conventions. Please note that it is the vendor’s responsibility to ensure that they are meeting the requirements of all applicable sections of the Ontario Regulation 136: Personal Service Settings.

All vendors must submit a completed Special Events Vendor Application Form to Southeast Public Health fourteen (14) business days prior to the commencement of the event.

Due to the risk of contamination with the outside environment, Southeast Public Health does not permit invasive Personal Service Settings services, such as tattooing and piercing at outdoor special events, except for vendors that have enclosed mobile units.

• Enclosed mobile units must be in compliance with the Personal Service Settings Regulation. O Reg 136/18, including:
  • Sufficient lighting
  • Solid walls and hard flooring that is smooth, non-absorbent, and easily cleanable.
  • Screened windows and doors.
  • Handwash basin equipped with potable hot and cold running water under pressure with soap and paper towel.
  • Wastewater collection within the unit and disposed of in a sanitary manner.
  • The event vendor is responsible to ensure their booth is always maintained in a sanitary manner during the event.
  • The booths shall be sectioned off to ensure limited public access where services are being provided. This is to ensure infection prevention and control (IPAC) standards can be maintained.
  • Contact surfaces such as counters, trays, and tables must have a smooth and non-absorbent finish to allow for proper cleaning and disinfection.
  • Chairs must be made of a material that can be cleaned and disinfected between clients. If chairs must be covered, the cover must be single-use and discarded between clients.

All personal services workers must practice hand hygiene before service delivery and as required during and after service. It is the responsibility of the personal services vendor to ensure that each worker follows proper hand hygiene while working the event.

• 70 to 90 per cent alcohol-based hand rub will be available at each booth.
• Hand wash station will be located within vendor booth.
• Hand wash station will be accessible during service.
• Hand wash station will be equipped with potable hot and cold running water under pressure with soap and paper towel.

• Reprocessing of instruments is not permitted onsite.
• It is recommended to use instruments that are single-use disposable and to bring multiple instrument sets for service on-site.
• For items sterilized at a business location, you must have readily available onsite the name and address of where the items were sterilized.
• For items purchased pre-packaged and sterile, you must have readily available onsite the name/ telephone number of the supplier(s), lot number(s) and expiry date(s).
• Any re-usable item must be placed into a covered puncture-resistant, leak-proof container immediately after use. The container will be labelled “Dirty items – do not use”. These items will be brought back to the business location for proper reprocessing.

Each vendor must:

• Have an adequate amount of skin antiseptic and clean, single-use, disposable swabs on-site to cleanse the skin prior to any procedure where skin will be punctured such as tattooing and piercing.
• Maintain client records for all services provided.
• Maintain records of accidental blood and body fluid exposures.
• Provide clients with verbal and written after-care information after all invasive procedures.
• Eating, drinking, and smoking while providing a service is not permitted.
• Immunization against hepatitis B is highly recommended for those providing invasive services.
• Ensure that these records are available on site for a Public Health Inspector to review.

• Garbage, sharps, single-use tools/instruments, and liquid waste must be disposed of in a sanitary manner. Liquid waste must not be disposed of on the ground.
• Use an approved sharps container for the disposal of all sharps (for example, needles, razors). All sharp containers must be disposed of in an appropriate manner and not with municipal garbage.
• Maintain tabletops/storage containers in a clean and sanitary manner.

Organizers and vendors are encouraged to contact Southeast Public Health to consult with a Public Health Inspector prior to the event if they have any questions about infection prevention and control practice requirements.