Washington Administrative Code › Title 246 - Health, Department of › HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS (HIV) › Chapter 246-145 - Body art, body piercing, electrology and tattooing standards for sterilization procedures and infection control › Section 246-145-050 - Standard universal precautions for preventing the spread of disease in body art, body piercing, and tattooing

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
The following universal precautions must be used by persons
				  licensed to practice body art, body piercing, and tattooing:
(1) Use sterile instruments and aseptic
				techniques at all times during a procedure.
(2) Use only presterilized single-use
				disposable needles for body piercing and tattooing on one client and then
				dispose of the needles immediately in a sharps container.
(3) Wear a clean outer garment and prevent
				hair from coming into contact with the client. All necklaces, bracelets, or
				other personal items must be removed or covered by the outer garment or gloves
				to prevent the item coming in contact with the client.
(4) Wash hands and wrists thoroughly in warm
				running water with soap for at least twenty seconds, scrub around and under
				fingernails, rinse completely and dry with a clean single-use towel or hand
				dryer. Handwashing must be done immediately before and after performing a
				procedure.
(5) Inspect hands for
				small cuts, sores and abrasions. If present, use a Seal-skin product or
				bandage.
(6) Licensees with weeping
				dermatitis or draining sores must avoid contact with clients and equipment
				until the weeping dermatitis or draining sores are healed.
(7) Wear gloves during procedures and while
				assembling instruments. Licensees must wash hands immediately before single-use
				disposable gloves are put on and after gloves are removed.
(8) Wear gloves to prepare the client's skin
				(washing and shaving) and then discard the gloves after completing the
				preparation. A new pair of gloves must be put on before continuing the
				procedure.
(9) Remove gloves
				immediately, wash hands or use a hand sanitizer, and put on new gloves, when
				gloved hands break aseptic technique (e.g., touching eyes, nose or mouth,
				answering the phone, opening a door, or retrieving an item from the floor)
				during a procedure, or when gloves are torn or have small pinholes.
(10) If a licensee sustains a needle stick,
				they shall resume the procedure with clean and sterile equipment after
				rewashing hands and putting on new gloves.
(11) Change gloves after contact with each
				client.
(12) Clean and disinfect
				chairs, tables, work spaces, counters, and general use equipment in the
				procedure area between each client. Follow manufacturers' instructions for
				proper use of disinfecting (or detergent) products.
(13) Use appropriate barrier films to cover
				all items gloved hands would normally come into contact with during a
				procedure. These items include, but are not limited to, machine heads, clip
				cords, spray bottles, seat adjustment controls, power control dials or buttons
				and work lamps.
(14) Use single-use
				stencils. Petroleum jellies, soaps and other products used in the application
				of stencils must be dispensed and applied using aseptic technique and in a
				manner to prevent contamination of the original container and its contents. The
				applicator must be single-use.
(15)
				Use only single-use pigment or ink containers for each client. Pigments and ink
				shall be dispensed from containers in a manner to prevent contamination to the
				unused portion. Individual containers of ink or pigment must be discarded after
				use.
(16) Use single-use razors
				during procedures and dispose of them in a sharps container.
(17) In the event of blood flow, use products
				that are single-use to control or check the blood flow or absorb the blood.
				Used products must be disposed of immediately in appropriate covered container.
				The use of styptic pens or alum solids to control blood flow is
				prohibited.
(18) Inks or pigments
				must not be banned or restricted by the FDA and must not be mixed with improper
				ingredients. Information indicating the source of all inks and pigments shall
				be available to the department upon request.
(19) Use single-use marking instruments or
				instruments sanitized by design, such as alcohol based ink pens, on intact skin
				that has been treated with an antiseptic solution. Any marking instrument that
				comes in contact with mucous membranes or broken skin shall be
				single-use.
(20) All jewelry, as
				defined in WAC
				246-145-010, must be obtained in
				presterilized packaging from the manufacturer or be sterilized on-site prior to
				the procedure.
(21) Cleanse the
				client's skin before and after a procedure by washing the skin with a FDA
				registered antiseptic solution applied with a clean, single-use product. A
				sanitary covering must be placed over the procedure site when
				appropriate.
(22) Wearing new
				gloves open each package containing a sterile instrument in the presence of the
				client and handle each instrument in a manner to prevent contamination of the
				instrument.
(23) Prevent
				needlestick injuries by not recapping needles or breaking needles by hand and
				by not otherwise manipulating contaminated needles by hand.
(24) Disposal of sharps containers must
				comply with the local solid waste program through the licensee's local county
				health department.
Statutory Authority:
					 RCW
					 70.54.340. 10-12-057, § 246-145-050,
					 filed 5/27/10, effective 7/1/10.