Personal Services Settings Health Inspections

Personal services settings provide non-medical procedures designed to enhance a person's appearance or sense of well-being.

Niagara Region inspects these premises and the services they offer to reduce the risk of infection to both clients and operators through exposure to blood or body fluids from contaminated hands, surfaces, instruments and equipment.

Client records

Maintain records of staff and clients to support contact tracing efforts, such as full name, date, time and contact information. This information is critical in the event of an exposure.

Businesses are required to record their client's name and contact information before services can be provided. If contact information is not given, service cannot be provided.

This information is only accessed in the unlikely event that a client has been exposed to blood or bodily fluids through use of contaminated equipment. This allows for a timely response by Niagara Region Public Health and Emergency Services and helps with a possible recommendation to seek medical advice from a health care provider if there's reason to believe a client has been put at risk of acquiring an infectious disease.

This does not apply where the personal services are hair or barbering only.

See Ontario Regulation 136/18: Personal Service Settings, s5

Managing COVID-19 in the workplace

COVID-19 is a virus that can spread through the respiratory particles of an infected person while breathing, talking, coughing or sneezing. Infected people, with or without symptoms, can transmit COVID-19. In general, the risk of transmission is higher indoors than outdoors, especially in closed, crowded spaces for extended periods of time. COVID-19 can also be transmitted through contaminated objects or surfaces.

Visit COVID-19 in the workplace for more information and useful contacts.

Good practices for personal service settings

• Masks and personal protective equipment

  It's important to refer to the "Masks and personal protective equipment" section on COVID-19 in the Workplace in addition to the following information.

  Owners / operators

  • Provide staff training on the proper use of personal protective equipment and the importance of other infection prevention and control measures, such as hand hygiene
  • Use of disposable gloves isn't a substitute for proper hand hygiene
  • Employees should not share personal protective equipment
  • If goggles and face shields are used, they should be labelled to the assigned staff and cleaned / disinfected between clients
  • Check the "Resources for Businesses" column for personal protective equipment supplier directories

  Staff

  • Employees should not share personal protective equipment
  • If goggles and face shields are used, they should be labelled to the assigned staff and cleaned / disinfected between clients
  • If employees use gloves:
  • It's important to change gloves when changing tasks, after every client, or more often as necessary
  • When gloves are removed, new gloves must be used each time
  • Wash hands with soap and water when hands are visibly soiled or use an alcohol-based hand rub for 20 seconds before putting on and after taking off gloves

  Clients

  • Clients must wear a face covering at all times throughout the service, except while they are receiving services on an area of their face that would otherwise be covered by a face covering
• Laundry
  • Dirty towels and linens must be placed in a lined laundry bin for washing with hot water and detergent using a washing machine. Dryers should be used as the heat further kills any viruses.
  • Laundry baskets or reusable bags must be cleaned and disinfected between uses and shouldn't be used for clean towels / capes
  • Use a clean cape for each client, and consider using a disposable barrier between the client and their skin. Clean and disinfect capes between clients.
  • Use a clean towel, not a neck brush, to remove loose hair
• Cleaning and disinfecting
  • Cleaning, disinfecting or sterilization of items should continue as indicated in the Personal Services Setting Regulation and the Guide to IPAC in PSS, 3rd edition, including tools, equipment, shampoo bowls, manicure tables, chairs, workstations, etc., and other products after every use
  • Follow Public Health Ontario's recommendations for environmental cleaning and disinfecting of all high touch surfaces, such as doorknobs, elevator buttons, light switches, toilet handles, counters, hand rails, touch screens surfaces and shared materials, equipment, workstations and keypads.
  • Remove magazines and soft / porous items such as cushions and rugs that are difficult to clean and disinfect
  • When scheduling appointments, allow additional time between clients for proper cleaning and disinfecting of workstations and equipment
  • Where possible, use disposable, single-use supplies
  • Ensure single-use items, including masks and gloves, are discarded immediately after use to reduce the risk of contamination

Consultation for new businesses

If you're planning on opening a new business, request a consultation.

We can save you time and money by not having to correct improper licensing procedures or pay for alterations to the structure of the facility after you have opened for business.