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Oklahoma Administrative Code (Last Updated: March 11, 2021) |
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TITLE 310. Oklahoma State Department of Health |
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Chapter 233. Body Piercing and Tattooing |
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Subchapter 5. Sanitation and Sterilization Procedures |
SECTION 310:233-5-1. Reusable equipment
Latest version.
- (a) After each use, non-disposable instruments or reusable equipment used for body piercing or tattooing procedures shall be processed through all of the following steps of the sterilization process:(1) Manually or mechanically preclean the instruments with care taken to ensure removal of residue. Manual scrubbing shall be done per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, fully submerged under water, to reduce the likelihood of making bloodborne pathogens airborne. This must be done while wearing appropriate personal protective equipment including but not limited to full length sleeves, elbow-high gloves, apron, and face mask with eye protection;(2) Thoroughly rinse the instruments after precleaning and soak them in a protein-dissolving enzyme cleaner or detergent per manufacturer's instructions; and(3) Rinse the instruments after soaking and clean the instruments further in an ultrasonic cleaning unit fully submerged in an enzymatic cleaner, per manufacturer's instructions.(b) After cleaning, all non-disposable instruments used for body piercing or tattooing procedures shall be rinsed thoroughly, dried and packed individually in sterilization pouches and subsequently sterilized. All sterilization pouches containing non-disposable instruments shall contain either an indicator or an integrator strip. Sterilization pouches shall be dated with an expiration date not to exceed six (6) months.(c) All packaged, non-disposable instruments used for body piercing or tattooing shall be sterilized in a steam autoclave. The autoclave shall be used, cleaned, and maintained according to manufacturer's instruction. A copy of the manufacturer's recommended procedures for the operation of their autoclave sterilization unit shall be available for inspection by the Department. Sterile equipment shall only be handled with clean gloves and shall not be used if the package has been breached or after the expiration date without first repackaging and resterilizing.(d) Each operator of a body piercing or tattooing establishment shall demonstrate that the autoclave(s) used is capable of attaining sterilization by monthly spore tests. These tests shall be verified through an independent laboratory. These spore test records shall be retained by the operator for a minimum of three (3) years and made available to the Department upon request.(e) After sterilization, the instruments used for body piercing or tattooing shall be immediately transported with clean exam gloves and stored in a dry, clean cabinet or tightly covered container reserved for the storage of such instruments.(f) All instruments used for body piercing or tattooing shall remain properly stored in their sterile pouches until just before performing a body piercing or tattooing procedure. When assembling instruments used for performing body piercing or tattooing procedures, the artist shall wear disposable exam gloves and use aseptic techniques to ensure that the instruments and gloves are not contaminated.(g) All needles, instruments and equipment shall be specifically manufactured for performing body piercing and tattooing procedures.(h) For body piercing and tattooing establishments primarily utilizing a Statim autoclave, reusable items shall be sterilized in an autoclave in a bulk load without sterilization pouches, previous to sterilization in the Statim autoclave, for the body piercing or tattoo procedure. Reusable instruments and single use items sterilized in a Statim autoclave cassette must be used immediately after opening the Statim autoclave cassette. The items contained in the Statim autoclave cassette shall be used for one client only and shall include use of an integrater strip.