General Information	State of New Hampshire
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New Hampshire Body Art Sterilization Guidelines

Source. #6080, eff 8-19-95

PART He-P 1103 TATTOO ESTABLISHMENT REQUIREMENTS

He-P 1103.01 Physical Environment.

(a) All tattoo establishments shall be clean and free from rodents and vermin.

(b) The floor(s) and walls in the tattoo area shall be smooth, nonabsorbent and washable.

(c) Furniture in the waiting area and in the area utilized for tattooing, including scarification or body piercing shall be clean and in good repair.

(d) The area utilized for tattooing shall be separated from the waiting area by curtains or a full partition to a minimum height of 6 feet in order to assure privacy.

(e) A toilet room with hot and cold running water shall be available to clients.

(f) The area utilized for tattooing, including scarification or body piercing shall contain the following:

(1) Hot and cold running water under pressure;

(2) Individual paper towels in a holder;

(3) Areas for the storage of instruments, pigments, and other supplies;

(4) Countertop workspace made of nonpermeable materials and cleansed with a germicidal solution immediately prior to and after each tattoo;

(5) Lighting sufficient to perform the tattooing, scarification or body piercing process;

(6) Single use surgical or examination gloves;

(7) A rigid, puncture resistant container for disposal of sharps such as needles in accordance with He-P 1103.02(o); and

(8) A waste container for other waste in accordance with He-P 1103.02(p).

(g) Each establishment shall have an ultrasonic cleaner or equipment for soaking instruments in glutaraldehyde for 24 hours prior to sterilization in an autoclave.

(h) Each establishment shall scrub all equipment with soap or detergent and water to ensure that it is free of all pigments and residue prior to sterilization of that equipment.

(i) Each establishment shall have an autoclave for sterilization of instruments unless:

(1) All instruments are pre-sterilized single use items; or

(2) The establishment has a contract for sterilization of needles and needle bars with an outside company.

(j) Contracts for sterilization, if used, and manifests of items sterilized shall be maintained in the establishment for 2 years and shall be available for review by the division upon request.

(k) Tattoo establishments shall employ only licensed tattoo practitioners to perform tattooing, including scarification or body piercing in a tattoo establishment.

Source. #6080, eff 8-19-95

He-P 1103.02 Antiseptic Techniques and Procedures.

(a) Each tattooist shall cleanse his/her hands thoroughly with soap and hot running water immediately before starting a tattoo, including scarification or body piercing procedure on each client.

(b) Tattoo practitioners shall wear clean outer garments or lab coats to perform any procedure.

(c) There shall be no smoking, eating, or drinking in the room by the practitioner or customer during the conduct of tattoo, including scarification or body piercing procedures.

(d) Single use surgical gloves shall be used by the tattoo practitioner during any tattoo, including scarification or body piercing procedure.

(e) No practitioner shall knowingly perform any tattoo, including scarification or body piercing procedure when suffering from any communicable disease.

(f) When it is necessary to shave the area to be tattooed, a new, disposable razor or blade for each client shall be used.

(g) Common shaving mugs and brushes shall be prohibited.

(h) The tattoo practitioner shall refuse to perform a procedure on any client who shows signs of:

(1) Being intoxicated;

(2) Utilizing intravenous drugs; or

(3) Having open sores, oozing wounds, lesions or other skin conditions.

(i) The skin shall be prepared first by cleaning the area with an antiseptic soap and warm water, or cleaned with soap and warm water. Following the cleansing, a germicidal solution shall be applied to the area.

(j) Single use individual absorbent towels, tissues or pads shall be used in preparing the site to be tattooed, scarified, or pierced.

(k) The stencil, unless composed of acetate, shall be used for a single tattooing procedure only. If acetate stencils are used, they shall be washed and disinfected between uses.

(1) A set of individual, sterilized tattoo needles shall be used for each new client.

(m) Single service or individual containers of pigments shall be used for each client and any remaining pigments in the container following the procedure shall be discarded.

(n) Used needles shall be placed in an appropriate infectious waste sharps container.

(o) Disposal of infectious waste sharps shall be in accordance with Env-Wm 2604.

(p) Disposal of potentially hazardous or hazardous substances shall be in accordance with Env-Wm 500.

(q) Excess pigments shall be removed with individual single use absorbent towels, tissues or pads or cotton only.

(r) Petrolatum or antiseptic ointment such as A & D ointment may be used on the fresh tattoo.

(s) Petrolatum or antiseptic ointment shall be removed from the container using a single use sterile stick.

(t) If dispensing petrolatum or antiseptic ointment from a tube, the mouth of the tube shall not touch the client's skin.

(u) The tattooed, including the scarified or pierced area, if covered, shall be covered with a piece of sterile non-stick gauze or cotton prior to covering with tissue or other materials which can be fastened with adhesive tape.

(v) Needle bars, tubes and grips shall be cleaned by use of an ultrasonic cleaner prior to sterilization.

(w) Immersion time in the ultrasonic cleaner for all equipment shall be for a minimum of 5 minutes.

(x) If an ultrasonic cleaner is not available, needle bars, tubes and grips shall be soaked 24 hours in a solution of glutaraldehyde prepared in accordance with the manufacturers recommendations.

(y) Ultrasonic cleaning tank detergent shall be changed each day of use.

(z) Instruments used in tattooing such as tattoo needle bars, grips and tubes shall be individually packaged and sterilized in an autoclave before use on each client.

(aa) Autoclave times and pressures shall be in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendation but shall not be less than the equivalent of 250.7 degrees Fahrenheit or 121.5 degrees Celsius under a pressure of 15 pounds per square inch for 55 minutes.

(ab) Sterilization indicators such as autoclave indicator tapes which change color when the appropriate temperature and pressure are reached shall be used on each run.

(ac) Autoclaves shall be maintained in accordance with manufacturer's recommendations. A record of all maintenance shall be kept for 2 years. Such records shall include the date and type of maintenance activity and shall be made available to the division upon request.

(ad) If the autoclave indicator tape does not indicate sterility, the materials shall be re-autoclaved utilizing a new autoclave indicator tape until satisfactory sterilization is indicated by the indicator tape.

(ae) The sterilizing date shall be noted on each instrument pack. Sterile instruments shall be used within 30 days or shall be repackaged and re-sterilized.

(af) Spore testing, a test utilizing heat resistant bacterial spores which are subsequently sent to a laboratory for testing shall be conducted quarterly and a record maintained of the results of the spore tests.

(ag) After completion of the procedure, all individual use items shall be disposed of and the area cleaned with a disinfectant solution prepared in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendation.

(ah) Prior to being sterilized, instruments shall not be coated with:

(1) Petrolatum;

(2) Lubricating jelly;

(3) Glycerine;

(4) Oil; or

(5) Grease.

(ai) Not withstanding (ah) above, carbon based needles may be covered with a light coating of oil.

(aj) Motors or frames shall be damp-wiped with:

(1) 70% alcohol; or

(2) Another disinfectant such as:

a. A 1.5% solution of carbolic acid; or

b. Activated glutaraldehyde solutions such as Cidex; or

c. Covered with clear plastic coverings which shall be changed between each client.

(ak) All piercing needles, tapers, jewelry, and other equipment that penetrates the skin used in the body piercing process shall be sterilized as described in He-P 1103.02 (aa).

(al) Jewelry inserted into a new piercing shall be composed of:

(1) Gold;

(2) Surgical stainless steel;

(3) Platinum;

(4) Titanium;

(5) Monofiliments such as surgical thread; or

(6) Niobium, an alloy formed from oxides in the stainless steel production process.

(am) Equipment used in scarification procedures shall be sterilized as described in He-P 1103.02 (aa).

(an) All piercing needles shall be single use and shall be disposed of in an appropriate infectious waste sharps container in accordance with Env-Wm 2604.

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