The Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2009 aims to ensure the safety of customers and patrons within businesses such as prescribed accommodation premises, beauty therapy and hairdressing establishments, tattooists as well as public Pools and spas.
Environmental health officers from the Health Services Branch are responsible for inspecting all types of health establishments to ensure they comply with the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 and regulations.
The regulations aim to protect public health by preventing, or containing, outbreaks of infectious diseases. They also encourage proprietors of businesses to provide and maintain an environment that is safe from the spread of infectious diseases.
Personal care and body art industries
The Health Services Branch registers and inspects all premises conducting skin penetration activities such as tattooists, body piercers, ear piercers and electrolysis clinics in addition to beauty parlours and hairdressers.
The purpose of this registration is to prevent the spread of infectious diseases through regular inspections (which check correct cleaning, sterilisation and operator procedures), proprietor education and information transfer.
The Department of Human Services has produced guidelines for personal care and body art industries, providing useful information from premises design to good hygiene practices.
See Register a healthcare business for more information.
Hairdressing, beauty therapy and body art businesses
All hairdressing, beauty therapy, body art and other forms of skin penetration businesses are required to register with council under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008.
Skin penetration businesses include tattooing, body and ear piercing and electrolysis.
City of Melbourne Health Services inspects these premises annually and proprietors are kept informed of any change to the act that may affect their business and operations.
See Register a healthcare business for more information.
Prescribed accommodation
Hotels, motels, boarding houses and accommodation facilities are also required to register under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008. The purpose of this registration is to allow routine annual inspections of premises under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 and regulations.
The regulations aim to:
- prevent overcrowding in prescribed accommodation
- ensure a reasonable standard of hygiene, sanitation and safety in prescribed accommodation
- minimise the risk of airborne and other communicable diseases among people living in prescribed accommodation.
Health Services inspect all prescribed premises on a regular basis. The number of inspections that are conducted each year is dependent on the type of accommodation and the history of the accommodation.
See Register a healthcare business for more information.