| Questions: | 10 |
| Available: | Always |
| Pass rate: | 50 % |
| Backwards navigation: | Forbidden |
We have heard stories!
Like the client who visited another shop in Kingston for a tattoo. The artist was getting shaky and excused himself so he could 'score a fix to steady his hands'. When asked why he stayed, the fellow replied 'he was almost done'.
Another instance of a shop running out of gloves during a piercing....
Shops in Ontario now have to test their sterilizers at least twice a month because of an incident in Whitby. A shop owner had not maintained his autoclave properly. The seals were defective, and several clients contracted hepatitis. The increased testing would not have made a difference because he was faking his results, but instead of holding him criminally responsible, the government took the easy way out, trying to show their constituents that they were acting responsibly. Bunk! Now we have tattoo shops circumventing the requirement by using disposable needles and tubes for their tattoos. However, when they do piercings, often they use a single set of piercing tools which have not been pre-sterilized, and yet they are allowed to continue piercing.
We have always been amazed at the lack of knowledge, and the high risk behavior of piercing clients. Yes the risk of contracting a blood-borne disease may be relatively low, but the consequences are tragic.
It has also been noted that the public health inspectors have no standards of technique, nor minimum requirements for jewelry, that they can enforce.
As a client, it is ultimately up to you to do what you can to ensure that your piercing is properly done, and there are a number of things you can do to help make that so. Once your decision has been made, there are also a number of things that the piercer must adhere to once you have placed your trust in them.
How safe was your last piercing? Take this short quiz and see.