| Tanning facilities should be aware of and should comply with several common-sense health and safety items and concerns. For example:
OPERATOR TRAINING: Operators overseeing the use of tanning devices at a tanning facility should be appropriately trained. The tanning industry should be able to provide information to facilities on the availability and content of training materials and training courses.
MEDICATIONS OF CONCERN: Operators should have an up-to-date listing of medications that can increase a person's sensitivity to UV radiation and should warn customers who may be using such medications.
WARNINGS TO CUSTOMERS: Customers should be warned that tanning is not without risk and that UV radiation exposure can cause, among other things, burns, premature aging of the skin, and an increased risk of skin cancer. Warning signs to this effect should be posted for customers.
PROTECTIVE EYEWEAR: A tanning facility should require that an individual using a tanning device use either his or her own protective eyewear or the protective eyewear made available by the tanning facility.
AGE RESTRICTIONS: The general use of tanning devices should be restricted to customers who are adults. For persons less than 18 years of age, a tanning facility should require a properly completed, signed, and dated tanning permission form from a parent or guardian prior to permitting the use of a tanning device. This permission form should be completed and signed at the tanning facility by a parent or guardian and should not be taken home by a minor for signing. The form should contain relevant information, such as the following:
Name and address of tanning facility
Name, address, and contact phone number of parent or guardian of the person who is less than 18.
Name, age, and birthdate of the minor for whom the parent or guardian is granting tanning permission.
Range of dates requested by the parent or guardian for which the minor's tanning permission is in effect, not to exceed two months from the date the from was completed.
Consent and expectation that the minor will use either his or her own protective eyewear or the protective eyewear made available by the tanning facility.
Date the form was completed.
Signature of parent or guardian.
For persons less than 14 years of age, a facility should either (1) deny tanning or (2) require a parent or guardian to complete the above form and, in addition to this form, require the on-site presence of a parent or guardian during each tanning visit by such a minor.
INFANTS OR CHILDREN: Infants or children should not remain in a tanning area with an adult who is tanning, since they might be exposed to some UV radiation leaking or scattering from a tanning device.
FDA CERTIFICATION OF TANNING EQUIPMENT: Tanning equipment should be certified as complying with federal FDA manufacturing performance standards. This includes ensuring that timers are functioning as designed and that tanning lamps meet the specifications of the tanning device manufacturer. For specific questions about FDA performance standards, a tanning facility may contact a local FDA representative, Dennis Swartz, at 313-393-8156, or by fax at 313-393-8140.
REPLACEMENT OF TANNING LAMPS: Tanning facility management and employees should be informed immediately whenever tanning lamps are replaced. Replacement lamps should be equivalent to the replaced lamps in terms of UVA and UVB output specifications. Facility management should inform employees of any appropriate reductions or changes in tanning time as a result of new lamps prior to use of a tanning device by a customer.
CLEANLINESS: Tanning devices and rooms should be clean and hygienic.
EMPLOYEE WORK RULES FOR CUSTOMER HEALTH AND SAFETY: A tanning facility should establish and enforce employee work rules or policies specifically intended to help protect the health and safety of tanning customers. For example, a tanning facility may create and require its employees to maintain a personalized tanning record for each customer, with the permanent tanning record checked and updated at each customer session. A tanning record could include important health and safety information specific to each customer, such as:
Skin type
Medications that may affect response to UV light
Tanning history, including a description of any serious or frequent skin burns or other tanning-related injuries
Duration and date of each tanning session
Type or description of tanning device used during the current session
Current level of base tan
Maintaining this type of customer information in a permanent tanning record and requiring the record's use by employees could prove helpful in protecting the health and safety of customers from inappropriate tanning and possible serious burns and other complications and risks.
LOG OF TANNING INCIDENTS: A tanning facility should establish and maintain a tanning incident log for noting unusual incidents that could affect customer health and safety. Incidents should include, but not be limited to (1) a skin burn beyond mild reddening or (2) any skin burn for which medical treatment or other pain-relieving treatment is sought by a customer or recommended by the facility. This permanent log should include, for example:
The date an incident was reported by a tanning customer or other person or was noted by staff
Customer name
Description of the incident
Description of customer injury, if any, including any medical treatment recommended or sought
Confirmation that management of the tanning facility was informed of or aware of the incident and the date
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