(a) A practitioner shall maintain a high degree of personal cleanliness, conform to good hygienic practices and wear clean clothing when performing body art procedures. Before performing procedures, a practitioner shall thoroughly wash hands in hot running water using liquid antimicrobial soap, scrubbing for at least one minute, then rinse and dry hands with disposable paper towels. This procedure shall be repeated as often as needed to remove contaminants.
(b) While performing procedures, a practitioner shall wear disposable medical gloves. The gloves shall be disposed after use with each client.
(c) If, while performing a procedure, a glove is pierced, torn, or otherwise contaminated, the glove shall be immediately discarded and hands washed thoroughly before a new glove is applied. Any item dropped on the floor or otherwise contaminated shall be immediately discarded or replaced.
(d) All reusable instruments used for body art shall be cleaned thoroughly after each use by scrubbing with an antimicrobial soap solution and hot water or by an appropriate disinfectant, to remove blood and tissue residue, and placed in an ultrasonic unit which shall be operated in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
(e) After cleaning, all reusable instruments used for body art shall be packed individually in paper peel-packs and sterilized. All paper peel-packs shall be dated with an expiration date not to exceed thirty days. Sterile equipment shall not be used after the expiration date without first repackaging and re-sterilizing.
(f) All reusable instruments used for body art shall be sterilized in an autoclave or dry heat sterilizer approved by the County Health Department. The sterilizer shall be used, cleaned, and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. A copy of the manufacturer's instructions must be kept available on the premises for inspection by the County Health Department or other City departments.
(g) Each holder of a permit to operate a body art establishment shall demonstrate that the sterilizer used is capable of attaining sterilization by conducting a monthly spore test through an independent laboratory. The permit shall not be issued or renewed until documentation of satisfactory testing is presented to the County Health Department or the appropriate City department. Test records shall be kept for at least three years and made available to the any department of the City of Southgate or Wayne County upon request.
(h) After sterilization, an instrument used for body piercing or tattooing shall be stored in a dry, clean or other tightly covered container reserved for storage of only such instruments.
(i) All instruments used for body piercing or tattooing shall remain stored in sterile packages until immediately prior to performing a body art procedure. When assembling instruments used for performing a body art procedure, a practitioner shall wear disposable medical gloves and use appropriate techniques to ensure that the instruments and gloves are not contaminated.
(j) All inks, dyes, pigments and sharps shall be specifically manufactured for performing body art procedures and shall not be adulterated. Immediately before applying a tattoo, the quantity of dye to be used for the tattoo shall be transferred from the dry bottle and placed into sterile single-use paper or plastic cups. Upon completion of the tattoo, these single-use cups and all of their contents shall be appropriately discarded.
(k) All sharps shall be sterilized prior to use and stored in paper peel-packs in the manner prescribed in subsections (d), (e) and (f) above.
(l) Single-use sharps shall not be used for snore than one client for any reason. After use, all single-use needles, razors and other sharps shall be immediately disposed in an approved sharps container.
(m) All body art stencils shall be single-use and disposable. Petroleum jellies, soaps and other products used in the application of stencils shall be dispensed and applied to the area to be tattooed with sterile gauze or in a manner to prevent contamination of the original container and its contents. The gauze shall be used only once and then discarded.
(Ord. 672. Passed 3-31-99.)