South Carolina Code of Laws
Chapter 34 - Tattooing
Section 44-34-30. Infection control measures or standards; single-use items; logs of autoclave use; disinfecting and sterilizing room; flooring.

(A) A tattoo artist must comply with the following infection control measures or standards at all times:
(1) wash his hands thoroughly with water and a germicide soap approved by the department before and after each client's procedure;
(2) when necessary to perform a procedure on certain individuals who must undergo shaving of hair, use only a single-use disposable razor and clean the skin with a liquid germicidal solution approved by the department and used in accordance with the manufacturer's directions;
(3) use single-use sterile disposable gloves when setting up equipment and single-use sterile disposable gloves when performing procedures on a client; these gloves must never be washed or reused in any manner and must be immediately replaced upon notice of a tear, any contamination, or other defect;
(4) when conducting a procedure, use single-use disposable needles and injection equipment which are designated and sterilely packaged as single-use only, and these needles and injection equipment must never be cleaned or reused in any manner on another client;
(5) properly sterilize by autoclave all reusable instruments and other tattooing items other than inks and sterilely packaged and labeled with the date of sterilization and a sterile indicator;
(6) prior to any direct contact with the client, place in a sterile manner all sterile instruments on a sterile disposable towel or drape to be used as a single sterile field throughout the procedure. Regloving with single-use sterile disposable surgical gloves must occur prior to initiation of the procedure, which is to be performed using strict sterile surgical techniques. Any nonsterile contact or contamination of the instruments or field must immediately result in cessation of the procedure and nonuse of all equipment until resterilized;
(7) scrub the skin of the client in a sterile surgical manner with a liquid germicidal solution approved by the department and used in accordance with the manufacturer's direction; and
(8) dispose of single-use needles and other disposable sharp supplies in safety puncture-proof containers as approved by the department; these used containers must be disposed of in a manner prescribed by the department.
(B) The use of gauze, alum, styptic pencils, or medical supplies considered necessary to control bleeding is prohibited unless a separate disposable single-use sterile item is used on each client.
(C) The tattoo artist must not use stencils to transfer designs to skin or containers of ink or dye unless separate, disposable single-use stencils or containers are used on each recipient.
(D) Each tattoo facility must keep a current written log for the previous two years of autoclave use including, but not limited to, the date and time of use and results of sterilization spore test strip tests performed at least monthly.
(E) A tattoo facility must include a room for the purpose of disinfecting and sterilization of equipment, and this room must be physically separate from the room used for tattooing procedures to avoid cross contamination of equipment. Flooring in each room must be composed of material which is sanitizable.
HISTORY: 2004 Act No. 250, Section 1, eff June 17, 2004.

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