In just over six months’ time, the UK will be leaving the European Union (EU). How time flies! It seems as if only yesterday that the referendum on this important yet very divisible issue took place. As I write, there is still no clear outcome of what will actually happen on March 29, 2019, when the UK officially exits the EU.
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Trade relationships will of course continue, in whatever guise, and there is much optimism for enhanced business opportunities beyond the EU, including, of course, with the USA. But all this remains to be seen once the final Brexit deal and local country politics are factored in.
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One question mark in the minds of many salon operators is the potential for any new or reversed legislation and regulations for our industry; but the government has been quite clear that there will be no shift or reversal of EU regulations already in place.
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Many operators in the UK are unaware that significant disparity already exists in legislation between local UK countries and that there appears to be no appetite within national and/or local governments to either bring this into alignment nor to extend further. Devolution, or the transfer of powers from central to local government or assemblies, means it is unlikely this position will change any time soon.
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The disparity amongst legislation undoubtedly creates some headaches for those operators with salons spanning across more than one UK country. It is also an additional level of check-listing for distributors in the support they provide alongside equipment and product sales. For larger companies, this doesn’t appear to be an issue; but for the many smaller distributors and suppliers, the disparities can be frustrating and sometimes costly. And then of course, when it comes to compliance testing by local enforcement officers, it has become clear that some areas of legislation are open to subjective interpretation, rather than a being a clear “pass or fail” decision, leading to further inevitable frustration.
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In my opinion, one area of disparity that should certainly be addressed is the requirement for tanners to wear appropriate protective eyewear. Whilst this is a legal requirement in Northern Ireland and Wales, it is only guidance to best practice in England and Scotland – go figure!
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However, there is one common item of legislation across all home countries and that is the prohibition of anyone under the age of 18 having access to a tanning bed, which I see is increasingly becoming the position across the USA. In the UK, this legislation excludes people under 18 working in a salon insofar as they can clean the beds and cubicle areas but cannot be in the cubicle with the tanning bed switched on and, of course, cannot use it if under 18 years of age. It is, I think, interesting to note that much of the existing legislation and regulation is consistent with good practice protocols that responsible tanning bed operators employed prior to legislation.
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Ultimately, legislation and regulation should be about ensuring responsible tanning in a professional environment by those people able to tan. In the UK, industry body guidelines, i.e. The Sunbed Association’s Code of Practice, goes beyond what legislation and regulation requires. This would, I suggest, be a positive point to note for professional operators in that whatever follows from Brexit. There shouldn’t be any concern about legislative and regulatory change for indoor tanning – even if there were an appetite for it – because these operators will probably be complying already!
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It is interesting to note that much existing legislation and regulation is consistent with good practice protocols that responsible tanning bed operators employed prior to legislation.
