Portrait of a Tanning Salon Inspector

I ran across an interesting article that had me wondering ... How are different parts of the country staying on top of salon inspections, especially as more legislation is passed at the local and state levels? Apparently in Webster County, Iowa, one amazing multitasking administrative assistant has taken on the duty.

The article describes how Carol Thorn’s main job responsibility is to handle billing for the county health department, yet she now also orchestrates the issuing of well permits; the administration of paternity tests; and the inspection of pools, tattoo parlors and tanning salons. She picked up the tri-fold inspection duties from someone that retired last year.

As if all that weren’t enough, Thorn also handles a lot of administrative projects behind the scenes. That can range from monitoring the paperwork for home health-care patients to planning and implementing special events such as flu vaccination clinics (H1N1 kept her quite busy). Despite her full plate, apparently Thorn manages to ensure “that the tanning beds are in working order, that the paper work matches up and that they meet public health standards.”

I’m curious to learn how many hats your area’s inspectors wear, as well as what kinds of experiences you’ve had with the inspection process. Leave a comment to share your story.

–Karen

Related Articles:

NY Tanning Regulations – Who Will Enforce?

Salon Operations: Regulation and Inspection

Source:

The Messenger: Thorn’s focus is health