TSA responds to non-compliant sunbed operators in North West

The Sunbed Association (TSA) has responded to recent press about salons not complying with sunbed safety regulations, saying that the stories did not explain all the facts and contained “major inaccuracies”.

A number of reports have emerged in the last week following an investigation by North Yorkshire Council’s Trading Standards department, which found 75% of the sunbeds checked failed to comply with the 0.3 watts per square metre limit.

However, TSA chairman Gary Lipman said the reports were misleading because they did not highlight follow-up compliance. Lipman said, “Where local authorities have already undertaken 0.3 testing and enforcement, the follow-up compliance rate is regularly at 100%.

“Understandably, salons cannot find themselves at a trading disadvantage to non-compliant salons, and this is where local enforcement officers need to ensure that businesses in any given area are on a level playing field.”

This recent investigation by North Yorkshire Council surveyed eight sunbeds, and found six in breach of the 0.3W/m2 rule. This is the latest in a number of similar moves by councils in the North West. Officers in West Yorkshire and North Tyneside carried out compliance testing in the spring.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Council said, “The beds that failed the tests were all suspended from use pending repair or replacement of the bulbs. Officers will now expand the survey to cover the whole country.”