Nail salon industry should have a regulated body, says salon owner.

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Meeshika Sharma
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Jocelyn Diamond,the owner of a beauty salon says she wants to see more regulation of her industry to improve safety for customers.

publive-imageJocelyn Diamond, owner of The Studio Spa by Diamond Esthetics, has been an esthetician for nine years. She has heard a number of horror stories from clients about their experiences at other nail salons.

While Manitoba does not have regulations specific to the nail salon and spa industry, there is a section in the Public Health Act that gives officials the power to shut down any business it considers a health hazard.

Diamond thinks nail salons should have a governing body similar to tattoo parlours.

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Of the 11 complaints the province considered serious enough to warrant a health inspection the vast majority were about nail salons reusing tools designed for one-time use.

Diamond said, "Unfortunately because the industry is not regulated, there's nobody going out there and giving you a rule book saying, 'Hey, this is what you have to do and these are the rules you have to follow.""

Manitoba's former Chief Provincial Public Health Officer, Dr. Joel Kettner says the province doesn't need regulation to act.

Kettner said, "If they found it completely unacceptable and they didn't think the problem could be easily solved, or especially if there are repeat complaints, then it could be dealt with under the Public Health Act as a health hazard, including closing it down."

Martin Colledge, registrar with the College of Podiatrists of Manitoba, says there are no statistics that detail the risk of health problems from nail salons in the province.

He said there is a strong argument to be made for regulation of the nail salon industry, given there is a high risk of contamination. He suggests the province could study other jurisdictions, like British Columbia, Ontario, or Newfoundland, to see if their models would work in a Manitoba context.

Manitoba Health has published a spa safety checklist. It lists items meant to be used on one client only then thrown away, as well as items that can be cleaned and disinfected between each use.

 

 

 

 

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