Guidelines vs practice

Skin assessment

Staff should do a formal assessment of a customer’s skin before the first session. They should ask about a customer’s tanning history and experiences of sun exposure, especially previous sunburn. Sensitivity to UV rays can vary from person to person.

Less than half of the operators (31 out of 66) gave a formal skin assessment.

Consent form

There should be a consent form that spells out the risks associated with sunbed use, makes it clear who’s at high risk and emphasises the importance of wearing goggles.

Customers should be given a consent form to read and sign. Only 34 operators did this.

Beauté Skin Bar & Beauty Clinic in Dunedin didn’t give our first-time sunbedder a consent form to read and sign on the day. But our shopper had been to Beauté for a different treatment in the past and Beauté told us she would have filled out a health and safety consent form (which includes information about sunbed risk) at that time. This may be the case but we think it’s best practice for all customers to fill out a consent form at the time of their first sunbed. People can’t be expected to remember the risks of a treatment they read about a few months ago. 

Sunset Tan in Auckland didn’t have a consent form when we visited. But it has since told us it now has one.

Eye protection

Eyes absorb UV rays so it’s important protective goggles are provided. Without eye protection, UV rays can damage your eyes and increase your risk of getting cataracts.

Most operators provided adequate goggles (they formed a tight seal around the eyes). Some operators require you to buy the goggles, because of the risk of cross-contamination between users.

Eight operators provided goggles that were a loose fit. Another three – A Head of Nature Hair Studio (Auckland), Global Fitness Health Club (Tauranga) and Peppers Hair & Beauty Boutique (Hawke’s Bay) – provided broken goggles. Anytime Fitness in Whangarei told our shopper that wearing the goggles was optional and she could close her eyes if she didn’t want to wear them. All of these practices are unacceptable.

Follow-up session

The standard recommends that a follow-up session be avoided for the next 48 hours. Fifty-three operators gave this information to our mystery shoppers.

Warning notices

The standard asks for warning notices in the sunbed cubicle. These are meant to specify the risks of exposure to UV and also warn specific groups of people about their higher risk (see High-risk groups). There should also be warnings about the importance of eye protection and the timing of the next session.

Only 32 operators had all the warnings recommended in the standard – this is less than half the number of operators in our survey.