General Guidelines for Manicures, Pedicures and Nail Treatments

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• Contact surfaces must have a smooth non-absorbent finish.
• Work area must be well lit.
• Setting must be equipped with at least one sink for hand washing which is conveniently located near work area but at least one metre away from clean or sterile supplies. Sinks must be continuously supplied with potable hot and cold running water, dispensable liquid soap and single-use hand towels in a dispenser.
• If there is only one sink available on the premises, it may be used for both hand washing and cleaning of equipment/instruments providing it satisfies specific requirements.
• All equipment/instruments must be of durable construction, in good repair and in clean and sanitary condition.
• All biological monitoring, blood and body fluid exposure and client records are to be kept for five years; at least one year on-site.
• Immunization with Hepatitis B vaccine is strongly recommended for all personal service workers.

Operational Requirements and Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines

• Service is to be provided in a manner that reduces the risk of transmission of microorganisms to the client and the personal service worker.
• Service is to be provided in a manner that prevents disease transmission.
• Routine Practices are to be used with all clients during service delivery and include:
  • Hand hygiene.
  • Clean, non-sterile gloves:
    • Contact with blood or body fluids.
    • When handling visibly soiled items.
    • When the personal service worker has non-intact skin.
    • Face protection and gowns when appropriate and,
    • Other situations as appropriate.
• Hands must be washed for at least 15 seconds with soap and warm running water:
  • Before and after each client treatment.
  • Immediately before and after applying and removing gloves and,
  • When otherwise appropriate.
• Alcohol-based hand sanitizers (containing 60-90% alcohol) may be used if hands are not visibly soiled.
• All equipment/instruments that cannot be easily and thoroughly cleaned will be considered as single-use disposable.
• All reusable equipment/instruments are to be cleaned then either disinfected or sterilized after each use.
• Manual cleaning involves the use of a detergent and water solution and scrubbing (the use of friction) to remove soil.
• All product labels for disinfectants must have a drug identification number (DIN), with the exception of bleach (sodium hypochlorite).
• Clean items must be stored separately from dirty items to prevent cross-contamination. Contact surfaces that cannot be easily or adequately cleaned and disinfected between use must be covered with single-use disposable covers and the cover is to be discarded after each use.
• Manufacturer’s instructions are to be followed for dilution, use, re-use and contact time of disinfectants.

Additional requirements

• Nail services must not be administered to clients with fungus or mould on his/her nails. Clients with either of these conditions are to be advised to see their doctor for appropriate treatment.
• Nail service equipment and instruments, including re-circulation systems, must be cleaned and then intermediate to high-level disinfected for an appropriate contact time after each use.
• Footbaths are to be cleaned with detergent and water and then intermediate to high-level disinfected for an appropriate contact time after each use. Both cleaning and disinfectant solutions are to be circulated through the footbath’s circulating system.*
• Settings using footbaths with screens must remove the screens daily in order to clean the screens, followed by intermediate to high-level disinfection. *
• Pedicure blades must be discarded in an approved sharps container immediately after use on each client.
• Styptic products must be single-use and the disposable applicator must be discarded after each client.
• For those operators who choose to sterilize their instruments with an autoclave, dry heat/chemical sterilizer, required procedures are included in the Best Practices document, pages 24-27.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, CONTACT YOUR LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH UNIT