OSHA's opinion (for the heathens ;) )

At FABAIC April Powell and Kurt Drake mentioned "hygiene standards" in the face painting industry and how many people take it too far, including many local health boards. They went on to say that the theme parks in Orlando are governed over by OSHA (which makes sense to me) and what the OSHA standards are.

For those who don't know OSHA, it is a US Gov. bureau for Occupational Safety and Health Administration. No matter where you work, OSHA has standards you must live up to- whether it's cleaning, storage, lifting and turning or food handling. As a piercer and having worked in a tattoo parlour I can tell you OSHA regulates that more in this state than any health board. So, I decided to ask our local OSHA rep. their views on this.

He had a swift and certain answer, imagine that. Better yet? It matched the answer that OSHA in Orlando has.

Essentially, we do not need to use one sponge per person, or one brush, or isolate our materials UNLESS they come in contact with broken skin or the membranes of the eyes. We do not have to continually change our water. An end of the day sterilization to ensure proper drying out so that bacteria can't grow is what he said they would be most concerned about more than anything else.

Effectively he said that the doors to the bathrooms, the railings and security belts on rides, the condiment pumps at food vendors see more action and more bacteria/skin issues than our brushes or sponges ever will and even those are considered negligible so we operate well within the health and safety lines if we don't spend gads on changing sponges (unless something happens).

Sean Avram has a guideline...if you wouldn't kiss the cheek- don't paint it. If you would, then use the same brush/sponge because it's not causing any harm. That's been in my head since he said it two years ago and I've used it ever since.

So...if you have any questions about the safety of your set up and you're in the US, just go to OSHA like everyone else does.

If you wont kiss it dont paint it. Oh I love that saying! lol
I have a habit of suing enw sponges because I get the rainbow cakes all muddled on the sponge then it dosent come out right. =0( I guess I use to much water? I just need more practice!! thanks for sharing this though, Now I have a answer to tell people if they ask. =0)

Well, yes, unless your state or locality has different rules. What I find funny about the disney thing is that the face paintes have one set of rules, but, because the Bibbitty Bobbity Boutique does hair- they have to follow cosmetology rules per the state, which are more stringent that the "face painting" rules in this state.

Thanks for the info. I have different sponges (or ends of sponges) per colour so as not to cross contaminate colours, rather than germs - I like that 'no kiss/no paint' idea too.

The option of doing the back of a hand or an arm is always there, if they do have a problem on their face/sore/cut etc.

Good to know that's what the standards are, I'd rather be stricter than find out I've not been living up to what is needed....

I do occasionally get parents telling me I "don't need to worry" about using the clean brushes/sponges I do on each person or precautions I take, but it is honestly the same thing I do when doing makeup on set - and while I know I could "get away" with doing it differently a few times, it would only take the wrong person in my chair once to affect the number of phone calls I'd get...

I follow universal precautions because I never know what someone in my chair might be dealing with (immune compromised or infections). I have habits.... and it's easier to keep them than make exceptions....

great info, thanks!

I have the color assigned sponges too. Makes things so much easier!

great tips! I always wondered how people worried about germs on brushes etc use public washrooms... Although I am a bit of a germ aphobe myself so I understand their concern. I like fresh water, cleaning brushes in alcohal at the end of each event and air drying everything. I reccently bought about 10 sponges and split them and use a few each event... I use the tips of my sponges to blend too so the colours never stay in place and match the paints I am using. Do you blend with a brush then to keep your ends of each spnge in the proper colour then?

When they say broken skin do they means scabs too? i have had some kids with almost jealed scratches and stuff before and had to do full faced butterflies on them. What I usually do is paint around as close as I can then dip my finger in the paint and dab on top of the scab so that I complete the face and dont touch it with my brushes. What do you guys do in those cases?

lol that would probably not go down to well in the uk circle, I prefer to use new sponges per face, I have been doing that so long now it is second nature.

Love the quote though

Good to know... Now I'll just say my standards are beyond compliant w/ OSHA
I'm a bit of a clean nut & it give comfort to the parents(even if it's not necessary).

Thank you so much for information Lynnie.

I am a nurse, and find my face painting hygiene practice to be about half way between the more relaxed view and the strict one. It is good to know what the laws say.

It is certain that any break in skin, no matter how the healing is going is a requirement to use the materials only once.

I appreciate your info

Evelyn

Jenn, I don't paint broken skin- which a scab is. My rationale is more along the lines of this- the stuff we use is safe ON skin but we don't know what it will do IN a body, so I won't run the risk.

I have the Snaz teardrop shaped sponges (total love) and then I have round ones I cut in half. I learned from Sean Avram long ago, and it was reiterated with April and Kurt, you apply with the tip and then blend with the back side. My hands stay clean because all I have to do is tilt the sponge. I always use the darker color to blend, so it doesn't screw up the sponges. Works like a charm every time.

So do you do a smaller version to avoid the area all together? Let them know that the area of the scratch is off limits? I would never put paint on anything that looked like it could open at any time. But I have had children with a cat scratch from a few days before and its healed with a bit of scabbing left. I thought a scab was closed skin it is just protecting the new skin below healing... then again I am not a nurse or anything what do I know.

Its nice to hear from everyone what your methods are... definitely food for thought.

Lynnie wrote:I have the Snaz teardrop shaped sponges (total love) and then I have round ones I cut in half. I learned from Sean Avram long ago, and it was reiterated with April and Kurt, you apply with the tip and then blend with the back side. My hands stay clean because all I have to do is tilt the sponge. I always use the darker color to blend, so it doesn't screw up the sponges. Works like a charm every time.

OK, off topic here... I've not been able to figure out those tear drop sponges. They look like they'd be great if I could get the hang of them. How do you use them? Maybe I need to start a new topic....

Linda, I use the tip in the color that matches the sponge, even a split cake. Just the tip though. I learned from April and Kurt that they barely need water to pick up paint and it works awesome. I hold the flat sides and then I tilt the sponge to the rounded back part when I need to blend or soften things. Works like a charm!

Very useful info...thanks so much for sharing!! HA....now I'm totally going to be picturing myself kissing everyone!!

Well, Gretchen, I think that's better than picturing everyone in their undies! lol

HAHA! True!! Now, kissing them in their undies takes it to a whole different level!!! ;-D

I recently had a young boy who requested a full face spiderman, when I took a closer look at his face i could see what appeared to be cat scratches in several places, and they where in all the wrong places to just turn the design into a mask. I explained to the child and his parents the need to not paint on those areas, so I painted this spiderman up with "ripped" holes in his mask where the "bad guys" had attacked him.......with the scratches all ready in place, everyone was happy

so does your avatar Gretchen