Planning to open a Beauty Business in Western Australia? Or maybe you're just adding an extra consultation room?
What do I need to know?
In Western Australia, before opening or expanding your business (if it is a permanent address), or applying for a permit to trade in a new location (if you are mobile/temporary), approval is required from the relevant local government authority (your local council) where your business intends to operate.
Details such as the business name and address, layout of the premises/operational area, and the utilised materials/structure may be required - including the locations of hand basins and utensil wash sinks. Your Environmental Health Officer will then either issue you with a permit and/or inspect your establishment/ operations to assess compliance with relevant WA regulations.
Why do I need a hand basin?
Hand washing is the leading defence in preventing the spread of infection and is an essential requirement in any cosmetic services setting. Even if the procedures you do rarely require hand washing, the simple fact is that having hand washing facilities readily available and easily accessible increases hand washing rates and thus decreases the spread of infection. This is especially important when undertaking beauty treatments which can involve interaction with bodily waste and fluids.
This is why beauty regulations require a hand washing facility within the area of practice – not next door or down the hallway. By having the facility available and accessible it ensures hand washing can be achieved if/when required and the health and safety of your customers is upheld.
In Western Australia, most Hairdressing, Beauty Therapy, Body Art and other forms of Skin Penetration Businesses are required to comply with the WA Department of Health Code of Practice for Skin Penetration Procedures 1998 (publicly available here) and are required to register with the local council (click here). Further information on industry regulations can be found here.
How do I install a hand basin?
A hard plumbed hand wash basin is the obvious choice in most situations. However, mains plumbing is not always available, can sometimes be too expensive or is simply not practical. This is especially the case if you are leasing, a home business, mobile, in a kiosk or heritage building etc. Access to mains plumbing should not be an impediment to opening or expanding your business. Our Medi-Sink is the number one alternative to fixed plumbing for the Health and Cosmetic Services Industries and is popular in such diverse settings as GP practices to Veterinarians to Eye Brow Threading.
As a hand washing appliance the Medi-Sink provides ready access to your practical and regulatory requirement for hand washing facilities. It requires no plumbing – holding 10 litres of fresh water and 10 litres of waste. The unit delivers a timed, sensor operated, temperature regulated (40/45 degree) hand washing rinse; and also has a cold water, continuous flow button. It has a 10 minute self-cleaning mechanism which we recommend running once a week for disinfection in cosmetic services settings.
The Medi-Sink requires no installation. If you ordered one, we ship it to your door, you just have to take it out of the box, place it where you want it, fill the tank with normal tap water and plug the unit into power – its that easy. For more info on our Medi-Sink hand washing station see here.
Do I need a utensil washing sink?
If you are working with utensils that require cleaning then you are generally required to have a separate sink for utensil processing and sterilisation. Under the code for the Beauty Industry you are required to have an appropriate sink for the cleaning and sterilising of utensils with hot water (thermal disinfection) not less than 70 degrees Celsius. Information regarding temperatures vs time frames for submersion of utensils can be found in section 4.2, page 9 of the code, viewable here.
Most of our customers already have access to a separate sink they can use for utensil washing (such as a laundry sink at home, or rear sink in a shop), typically they just don't have the hand washing sink in their area of practice. Other practitioners use entirely disposable utensils and thus aren't required to have a utensil wash sink. If however you do need a utensil wash sink (for example if you are operating in a Kiosk), we do have a solution. Our Smart Sink is particularly popular with Kiosk's and Leased Buildings/Offices as an all rounder unit to cover utensil wash and hand wash requirements. For more info on our Smart Sink utensil wash sink see here.
Who are we?
Transplumb Water Technologies are designers, makers and innovators of high-tech plumbing solutions to industries all over Australia and internationally. We specialise in designing both portable and permanent, self-contained hand wash and utensil washing stations that require no access to mains plumbing connections. The information provided above is intended as a guide to help you understand the process in setting up or expanding your Beauty business and has been formulated in response to customer requests.
