“It can be dangerous if you don’t do it the right way, and that’s why we discourage people from going into places that don’t have proper permits or (where workers) are not properly certified,” said James Trakas, executive director of the Ohio State Board of Cosmetology.
In Ohio, employees must be trained before operating tanning equipment, and they also must be tested on their knowledge. In order to become a certified tanning operator, a test-taker must receive a minimum score of 75 percent.
The training and exams can be administered by private-sector businesses that are licensed by the state. Ohio currently has about 11 licensed facilities.
In November, an undercover inspector with the Ohio State Board of Cosmetology visited Tropical Isle Tanning after receiving a complaint about the business, located at 619 S. Broadway St., according to administrative hearing records.
The inspector requested a tanning-operator certificate, and a female employee asked if he wanted to do it the easy way, and he replied, “of course,” the records said.
The employee handed him a tanning certificate, and he paid $75 in cash. The transaction was over in minutes.
A second inspector entered the business shortly after that and also obtained a certificate simply by paying $75, the records show. The employee allegedly said the booklet the state requires tanning operators to read is “pretty much common sense.”
Earlier this year, a hearing officer recommended fining the tanning salon and revoking its permit to provide tanning certification courses. The hearing officer also recommended forbidding the salon from reapplying for a permit to provide tanning certification for six months.
The hearing report also said the salon provided 36 separate violations of falsified records of tanning certification and falsified records of formal training attendance.
Reached by telephone Friday, Doris Howdieshell, the owner of Tropical Isle Tanning, declined to comment.
Inspectors said receiving training and passing the certification test is important because operators need to learn skin typing, safety, proper sanitation, changing bulbs and other information. Equipment operators are currently required to re-take the training and certification test every four years, but soon that will be changed to every two years.
“It’s a pretty comprehensive program, and it’s a good four hours, and it’s a refresher course for those who haven’t had it in a few years,” Trakas said.
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