Ear Piercing

Public health law requires that persons undertaking ear piercing operate in a hygienic manner in order to prevent the spread of disease, particularly hepatitis and HIV infections.

Premises are generally controlled by means of local bye-laws made by individual councils together with health and safety at work legislation, the standards being enforced by Environmental HealthOfficers.

What are the risks associated with earpiercing?

The greatest risk associated with ear piercing is the contracting of Hepatitis B. This is a very resilient virus and spreads easily from person to person via contact with small amounts of infected blood, tissue fluids or serum. It is so resilient that the virus hasbeen known to survive for eight years on inanimate surfaces in a laboratory.

The incubation period for Hepatitis B is from two to six months, most commonly aboutthree months, and the infected person is very infectious for the whole of that period.

What are the symptoms ?

The earliest symptoms of infection are fever accompanied by an intense loss of appetite. The skin and eyeballs may go yellow (although this may not always happen) and the urine can go dark. Patients may feel severely ill for months. In the most severe cases the liver may fail and occasionally the patient may die. Others may develop chronic liver disease and even cancer of the liver, although this is rare in thiscountry.

What do Ear Piercers have to do?

Firstly, it is a requirement that ear piercers premises and the persons carrying out ear piercing register with the local authority both when opening new premises and when a new occupier takes over existing premises. In the case of the Wigan BoroughCouncil area a registration fee is payable for both premises and operators.

How do I register?

You must complete an application form and return it together with the required fee to the Community Protection Department. Following this an Officer will normally visit to check that your premises and practices meet the required standards, you should not commence ear piercing until your application to register has been approved. The registration visit will usually be combined with an inspection under The Health andSafety at Work etc Act 1974, which covers additional areas of safety.

What will the Inspector be looking for ?

Inspectors will expect compliance with the following standards:-

1. Premises.

   • it is recommended that all walls, partitions, and ceilings are smooth and nonabsorbent. In any case they should be kept clean and in good repair.

   • the floor should be kept clean and in good repair and it is recommended that they should be capable of being easily cleaned.

   • the tables, chairs or seats used during treatment should have a smooth impervious surface and must be kept clean and in good repair.

   • operatives should have access to washing facilities complete with running hot and cold water, soap and disposable paper towels

2. Procedures

   There is a variety of suitable ear piercing equipment currently on the market. In
   general they consist of:-

   1. A blister pack containing one or two pre-sterilised studs and butterflies held in plastic mounts. A single use disposable plastic guard/mount is fitted to the gun during loading and this prevents any blood or serum from a client's ear contaminating the gun or

   2. A pack containing a sterile single use pre-loaded piercer. After piercing the stud carrier/piercer is disposed of.

   3. Ear piercing methods where it is possible for infection to be spread between customers are unsuitable and must not be used. For example, where there are no disposable protective mounts for the ear piercing gun or where a piercing needle is used on more than one client. If you are unsure as to the suitability of equipment you should contact this department for further advice.

3. Piercing Procedure

   The actual skin piercing should follow the procedure shown below:-

   1. The operative should wash and dry their hands thoroughly with a suitable sanitiser

   2. The customer should be seated and the position of the ear ring marked on the ear (preferably with a Gentian Violet pen)

   3. A clean paper tissue or towel should be placed on the customer's shoulder

   4. The customer's ear should be cleaned with a spirit swab (e.g. Medi-swab)

   5. The operative should clean their hands with a fresh spirit swab

   6. The pre-sterilised pack should be opened and the ears pierced

   7. The tightness of the ear ring should be adjusted using clean tissue to hold the ear ring

   8. All waste, swabs and tissues should be disposed of in a plastic lined bin

   9. The operative should clean their hands thoroughly again

   10. After-care should be explained to the customer.

   Ear piercing guns must only be used with ear studs that are supplied and intended for use with that particular make and model of gun. Once the pre-sterilised blister pack of ear studs is opened they should be used straight away. Any unused ear studs should not be retained and used for subsequent clients as they will no longer be sterile.

4. Cleanliness of the operatives

   This requires that:-

   • every person engaged in skin piercing must keep their hands and clothes in a clean condition

   • overalls (if worn) should be kept clean

   • any open sores, boils, etc. on an exposed part of the body must be kept covered by an impermeable dressing whilst dealing with customers.

5. After-care

   Customers should be given after care instructions (preferably written) as this will help reduce the risk of post piercing infection. The customer should be instructed not to use antibiotic lotions, creams or ointments on pierced ears unless under the instructions of a GP. Normally, keeping the ear clean and dry should be sufficient to prevent infection, however, if the ear becomes wet after bathing or swimming it should be dried using a clean paper tissue. The only "disinfectant" which is likely to be useful is surgical spirit, which should be used sparingly, if at all.

6. Records

   It is strongly recommended that you keep a register of the details of persons on whom you carry our ear piercing. This should included their name and address, the date of piercing and the signature of the person carrying out the piercing (where more than one person carries out piercing). The records should be kept for at least 12 months.

What if I don't comply ?

Specific standards with regard to the premises, equipment and operatives are required by the Wigan MBC Byelaws (a copy of the Byelaws is available on request).

You also have an obligation under The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 to look after the health and safety of customers. If the method in use was dangerous the equipment used could be seized and/or you may be served with a Prohibition Notice which prohibits the use of the equipment.

In the case of other unsatisfactory conditions you will either receive a letter outlining what action is required or you may be issued with an improvement Notice requesting compliance within a specified time. You will be given reasonable time to put things right but failure to comply could result in legal action being taken.

• Printable Version - Ear Piercing (.pdf, 51kb)

Contact Details