SUMMER 2024 SUNBEDS If you own or manage a sunbed business, you should have effective systems in place to ensure your beds are safe and legal for your customers to use The risks to health caused by over-exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from sunlight and the use of sunbeds are well documented. The risks are greater for those over-exposed to UV rays at a young age. The European safe limit for UV irradiation from tanning equipment is 0.3W/m2. This is equivalent to the intensity of the noon sun in the summer at tropical latitudes including Darwin, Australia, Colombo and Sri Lanka. The World Health Organization terms this UV intensity as extreme. Ensure that your staff are adequately trained in operating sunbed equipment, understanding skin types, and recognising the signs of overexposure or sunburn You should check the specification of your equipment with your sunbed engineer. Unless you are able to get an assurance that your sunbeds meet current safety standards regarding UV irradiance, you should seek a quotation from a reputable sunbed engineer for 0.3 conversion. There are various factors that can influence the levels of UV irradiation, including the lamps (tubes), filters, ballasts, and the sunbeds embedded software, or any combination of these. It is your responsibility, as the business operator, to ensure that the products you supply to consumers are safe. If you are in any doubt, you should take positive steps to have your sunbeds surveyed and, if necessary, converted to safe standards. Age restrictions Businesses must not offer or allow the use of a sunbed to anyone under the age of 18. Under-18s should also not be in a restricted zone, unless they are providing services to the sunbed business for example, they are an employee. . A restricted zone is a wholly or partly enclosed space (for example, a partitioned area) where the sunbed is located and that is reserved for people using that sunbed. If the sunbed is not within a wholly or partly enclosed space within a room, then the entire room is a restricted zone. Staff training: Ensure your staff are adequately trained in operating sunbed equipment, understanding skin types, and recognising the signs of overexposure or sunburn. They should also be able to provide guidance on safe usage and answer any questions from customers. Further detailed advice is available. Credit: S arah Noonan and Suzanne Allen, Trading Standards Officers Image: iStock / Lepro Anonymous Hotline For further information, please contact your local Trading Standards Service For up-to-date news stories and information, follow us on 0300 303 2636 Is your sector being undermined by unscrupulous traders operating outside the law? Report them via Trading Standards Anonymous Hotline or online and help level the playing field for honest businesses.