Prepare for your inspection
Information to help you get ready for public health inspection of your personal service business.
Floors, construction, and renovation plans
If you have a planned renovation, before starting construction you must apply for personal service setting plan review and submit one copy of the floor plans.
For details refer to report changes to your business.
Setting requirements
All surfaces including floors, walls, ceilings, tables, and chairs must be in good repair, easy to clean, smooth and non-absorbent.
At least one hand washing sink is available in the premises that is:
- Used only for handwashing.
- Conveniently located to the work area.
- Accessible always.
- Continuously supplied with potable hot and cold running water under pressure.
- Has a supply of soap in a dispenser and a method of hand drying that uses single-service products or a hot air dryer located close to the sink.
At least one equipment cleaning sink is available if reusable equipment is used in the business (such as nail clippers and tweezers).
Exemption: The equipment cleaning sink is not required in settings where operators provide only hairdressing or barbering services, as long as the operators clean and disinfect reusable equipment before the beginning and after the end of each business day.
Equipment cleaning sink requirements:
- Cannot be the hand washing sink.
- Deep and wide enough that the largest piece of reusable equipment can be submerged under water.
- Continuously supplied with potable hot and cold running water under pressure.
- Has counter space to prepare the reusable equipment for use and re-use.
- Not located in a room with a toilet.
- Sufficiently separated from where personal services are provided to prevent contamination.
Operators cannot use a double sink (2-compartment sink) with 1 faucet to satisfy the requirements for both a hand sink and equipment cleaning sink. The hand sink and equipment cleaning sinks must be separated.
The setting must also have:
- Adequate storage space.
- Lighting and ventilation must be sufficient to enable the sanitary operation and maintenance of the setting.
- Proper garbage storage and removal (including biomedical and laundry, where applicable).
Equipment requirements
Equipment must be:
- Maintained in good repair and in a sanitary manner.
- Maintained in good repair and in a sanitary manner.
- Discarded immediately after use if it is a single use.
- Maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions or the directions of a public health inspector.
For invasive services (services that intentionally cut, puncture, enter, penetrate intact skin or mucous membranes such as tattooing, micro-needling, and micro-blading):
- All sharps used for invasive services are sterile and single use.
- Sharps must be from packaging that has not been previously opened, damaged or compromised in any way.
- Determine the level of sterilization (reprocessing) required for each piece of equipment and tools that will be used in the business by using this Public Health Ontario guide.
- Get more information about high level, intermediate level and low level disinfection.
Sterilizers
- Must meet the standards of Health Canada and the Canadian Standards Association.
- Be approved for sale in Canada.
- Check that the sterilizer is approved for sale in Canada.
- Be qualified prior to use. For all types of table-top steam sterilizers, the qualification tests involve running at least three fully loaded consecutive cycles with the appropriate challenges (biological indicator in each cycle).
- Be checked and biologically tested (spore tested) at least once every 2 weeks.
- Have spore testing processed by an accredited laboratory. The laboratory must be capable of performing biological indicator testing and be certified to recognizable standards (such as International Standards Organization).
- You must have a written plan containing instructions about what is to be done if the sterilizer fails to adequately sterilize. The plan must include written notification to anyone who provides services at the setting of the failure and what actions are to be taken.
Animals
No animals, including birds, aquatic species, and reptiles, are permitted in the setting except for:
- Service animals described in subsection 80.45 (4) of Ontario Regulation 191/11 (Integrated Accessibility Standards) made under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005.
- Live aquatic species displayed or stored in sanitary tanks.
Products
- Every product used is stored and dispensed in a manner which prevents contamination,
- Disinfectant(s) used must have a drug identification number (DIN) or natural product number (NPN) assigned by Health Canada. The only exception is chlorine bleach.
All records must be:
- Stored at the personal service setting in a secure location for one year or until the setting ceases to operate, whichever is earlier.
- Retained and kept readily available in a secure location for at least an additional 2 years.
- Provided to a medical officer of health or public health inspector on request.
Sterilization records
- Name and type of sterilizer used.
- Date and time when the sterilizer was used.
- Equipment on which the sterilizer was used.
- Any preventative maintenance or repairs done on or to a sterilizer and whether the sterilizer functioned properly after the maintenance or repairs.
- Results of any checks or tests done on sterilizers.
Disinfection record (when using a high-level disinfectant)
- Name of the disinfectant.
- Concentration of the disinfectant.
- Date when the disinfectant was prepared, if applicable.
- Date by which the disinfectant solution must be discarded, if applicable.
You can use and print this disinfection record form.
Records relating to invasive procedures
- Which procedure was done and to which part of the body.
- Name and contact information of the person who received the procedure.
- Name and contact information of the person who provided the procedure.
- Information provided to the customer to explain the procedure and the risks associated with the procedure.
- Dates of the procedure.
- Lot numbers and expiry date of the pre-packaged sterile equipment used in the procedure.
You can use and print this client record form.
Records related to accidental exposures to blood or body fluids
- Date of the accidental exposures to blood or body fluids.
- The service being provided when the exposure occurred.
- The part of the body that was exposed to blood or body fluids.
- Name and contact information of the person providing the procedure when the exposure occurred.
- Action taken by the person providing the procedure in response to the exposure.
- Name and contact information of the person who was exposed to blood or body fluids.
You can use and print this accidental exposure to blood and body fluids record form.
For more information access Public Health Ontario's guide to infection prevention and control in personal service settings.
Home-based business must:
- Contact your local municipality to ask about zoning by-laws and business licensing.
- Contact your Peel Public Health inspector to assess the availability of sinks for the personal service setting business.
- Not provide personal services in a room or part of a room that is used as a dwelling, including for dining, sleeping or preparing, selling, handling, eating or storing food.
Municipal business licensing requirements
Personal service business operating in Brampton and Mississauga require Public Health approval to obtain a business license. In addition, operators should be aware of the licensing procedures and by-laws in the municipality where they will be opening their business.
Disclosing inspection results provides the public with an opportunity to make an informed decision when choosing a personal service setting.
Available in Vietnamese
Access this guide for operators in Vietnamese.
The program is based on the Regional Municipality of Peel Personal Service Settings By-law 39-2014. The by-law requires operators to post inspection signs.
Disclosure resources:
Personal service setting inspections
The Ministry of Health requires local health units to conduct regular infection prevention and control compliance inspections in personal service settings. Public health inspectors do not make appointments for inspections.
Peel Public Health inspectors carry photo identification and business cards.
We encourage you to ask the inspector for proper identification.
Inspections are conducted a minimum of once a year. Additional inspections will be conducted to investigate complaints or as needed.
During an inspection
You will be given a written inspection report outlining any infractions that need to be corrected and the time frame to correct these infractions.
Numerical point values of 3, 5 or 15 points are associated with the type of infraction.
Critical infractions are valued at 15 points. An example of a critical infraction is inadequately sterilized equipment that breaks the skin. Critical infractions are likely to transmit infections and directly affect the safety of the public.
Semi-critical infractions are valued at 5 points. An example of this is failure to discard used sharps into the sharps container immediately after use.
Non-critical infractions are valued at 3 points. An example is poorly maintained work surfaces.
The inspector will give you an inspection summary sign, which you must post immediately.
Operator responsibilities under the law
Operators must post the Peel Public Health summary inspection sign:
- In a place that's clearly visible to the public.
- At or near the main public entrance of the business, or if there is no public entrance, then where the personal service is performed.
If the inspection summary sign is lost, missing, or damaged, it's the responsibility of the operator to notify Peel Public Health.
Operators are required to follow:
- Ontario Regulation 136/18 Personal Service Settings.
- The Regional Municipality of Peel By-law 39-2014.
If operator does not comply with the requirements of the law
Public health inspectors can take legal action such as issuing provincial offence notices (tickets), summons or orders for non-compliance. Legal action can be taken even when a green PASS or yellow CONDITIONAL PASS Inspection Summary sign is issued.
If the public health inspector observes an immediate health hazard, an order under the Health Protection and Promotion Act is issued and a red SERVICE(S) CLOSED inspection summary sign is issued. Operators who do not follow a closure order may be charged and summoned to appear in court. If the court finds the defendant guilty, an individual operator may be fined up to $5,000, and a corporation up to $25,000, for each day or part of a day on which the offence occurred.
Inspection summary signs
Learn about the inspection results and the coloured sign system.
