If DHEC receives a complaint from one of your customers, our investigation may include a visit to your facility.

The easiest way to prepare for an inspection of your tanning facility is to ensure that the practices of your salon are in accordance with Regulation 61-106 - "Tanning Facilities."

A DHEC inspector will look in depth at your facility's practices, equipment, and documentation. We look at things like the registration status of each tanning unit in your facility, the maintenance of the tanning equipment, the policy for the use of protective eyewear, the sanitation of the protective eyewear and tanning units, the mixture of the sanitizing agent, the lamp equivalency of the lamps used in the beds, the documented training of all operators, the presence of the warning sign in all tanning rooms, and the use of tanning equipment by minors.

This checklist will help you be prepared. If you have questions, do not hesitate to contact us at (803) 545-4400.

You will be required to have the following available for review during an onsite visit:

1. Copy of your application and approval memo.
2. Copy of R.61-106 Tanning Facilities Regulations.
3. All eyewear used (including disposable brands and brands for sale) and associated paperwork (instructions and 21 CFR 1040.20 certification).
4. Information on protective eyewear sanitizer, to include mixing instruction (unless only disposable eyewear is used).
5. Information on tanning equipment sanitizer, to include mixing instruction.
6. Documentation of operator training requirements as indicated in Section 4.2 of R.61-106 Tanning Facilities Regulations.
7. Lamp equivalency documentation if lamps other than the manufacturer's recommended lamps are in use.
8. A list of potential photosensitizing substances.

In addition to administrative review, we will do the following during a visit to your facility:

1. Check the adequacy of tanning equipment labels (presence of "Danger" statement, exposure schedule, etc).
2. Check for cleanliness of tanning equipment and protective eyewear and that sanitation is done by an employee of the facility.
3. Check to ensure the shocks are functioning properly (the canopy will stay up).
4. Check for adequacy of the acrylic or wire mesh (no holes, large split cracks, gaps, etc.).
5. Check to ensure that there are no cracks or tears in the vinyl pillows that would prohibit them from being sanitized properly.
6. Ensure there is a functional emergency off switch (it may be the dial timer on the bed).
7. Ensure the timer indications are legible and agree with those on the exposure schedule as well as ensuring the maximum timer setting on the outside timer coincides with the maximum exposure time on the unit.
8. Ensure that the manufacturer's recommended lamp or a documented equivalent lamp is in use and that all lamps are functioning properly.
9. Ensure there are adequate physical barriers around each unit to prevent line-of-sight accidental ultraviolet radiation exposure by persons not using the equipment.
10. Check both protective eyewear and acrylic sanitizers to ensure that they are mixed according to the instruction.
11. Ensure that all eyewear available is in adequate condition (no cracked lenses, worn straps, and straps attached if applicable).