Ottawa Public Health planning registry to track nail salons, tattoo parlours

Ottawa Public Health is setting out to inspect the many nail salons and tattoo parlours that dot the city for cleanliness, but first it has to find them.

City council gave the health unit the go-ahead Wednesday to craft a bylaw that would compel such "personal service" businesses to pay $55 to sign up to a registry.

The nail salons that might be popping up in people's basements, those are the ones we want to know about.- Dr. Isra Levy, Ottawa's medical officer of health

Unlike other types of businesses, they're not required to acquire city-issued licences before setting up shop.

"They'll be required to actually let us know that they're in existence. That's the first and most important point," said Dr. Isra Levy, the city's medical officer of health.

Levy said inspectors have a good idea where all those 1,000 or so businesses are, but can't be sure.

"The nail salons that might be popping up in people's basements, those are the ones we want to know about," said Levy.

Educating operators

Once they locate the businesses, inspectors can also educate operators about how to guard against the spread of infections, Levy said.

For example, a pedicurist who fails to properly clean a sink can give a client skin lesions, and a tattoo artist who adds tap water to ink can give a customer a skin infection requiring antibiotics or even surgery.

Of the 1,086 inspections carried out in 2015, one-fifth found a deficiency the inspector considered "critical," including instruments that weren't properly disinfected or sterilized.

That summer Ottawa Public Health consulted business owners, customers, business improvement areas and health professionals, and found that most supported the idea of a bylaw that would help the agency enforce standards.

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But business owners worried about added costs. That's why the health unit is opting for a registry rather than a more costly business licence requirement.

Once it's established, health inspectors will have the power to issue tickets for infractions, especially to repeat offenders.

"In those situations, we have to turn up the heat on these proprietors and say, 'You really have to get your act together, otherwise the public isn't safe,'" said Levy.