Information for sunbed service providers
The use of sunbeds is prohibited for children under 18 years of age. In addition, according to the Radiation Act, each sunbed site shall have a designated responsible person who is always present when the sunbed equipment is used. Thus, unsupervised sunbeds are illegal in Finland.
UV radiation causes cancer
Tanning beds produce UV radiation that tans the skin, but can also burn the skin and cause skin cancer. The most common skin cancers with a clear link to UV radiation are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and dark cell carcinoma, or melanoma.
Basal cell and squamous cell cancers are usually benign and develop as a result of long-term exposure, usually in older people. They occur mainly on the face and hands, which are constantly exposed to sunlight.
Malignant melanoma typically develops on the skin of the body or limbs. Unlike other skin cancers, melanoma occurs in relatively young people. Repeated skin burning during childhood or adolescence increases the risk of developing melanoma. Sunbed use has also been found to increase the risk of melanoma.
There are no thresholds for the amount or duration of exposure to UV radiation. In other words, there is no safe lower limit for UV radiation from tanning beds. UV radiation also prematurely ages the skin. Intense UV radiation can cause inflammation of the cornea of the eye, known as snow blindness. In addition, over a longer period of time, the myelin of the eye can develop opacities and even cataracts.
Setting up a solarium service
The operation of a solarium does not require a licence from the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK). However, before starting solarium operations, the solarium operator must notify the municipality's health protection authority. In order to prevent harmful health effects from UV radiation from solariums, the Radiation Act lays down requirements and restrictions for the provision of solarium services.
Requirements for solarium operations
The operator is responsible for the safe operation of the solarium. The operator must designate a responsible person and ensure that eye protection is available and that radiation safety and operating instructions are displayed in the solarium. The use of the solarium is prohibited for persons under the age of 18 and compliance with the age limit must be monitored.
The operator must appoint a person responsible for the place where the sunbed is used. There may be one or more responsible persons, depending on the scale of the solarium's activities. The operator himself/herself may also act as a responsible person. The designated responsible person must be at least 18 years of age.
The operator's duty of care includes training the responsible person. The person in charge must have basic knowledge of the use of tanning equipment and the effects of UV radiation.
At least one responsible person must be present when the sunbed is in use
The sunbed may only be used if the person responsible is present at the place of use and can effectively supervise that no one under the age of 18 has access to the sunbed. The mere use of a customer's personal key (e.g. a key or membership card) to enter the solarium premises and thus activate the equipment without the presence and supervision of staff does not fulfil the requirements of the Radiation Act.
The solarium equipment must be located or its use must be arranged in such a way that the customer cannot use the solarium equipment without the staff noticing. This applies to all sunbed operators, including swimming pools and gyms.
The use of the solarium must be prevented when the person in charge is not present at the place of use. This also applies to short exits.
When the person in charge is not present at the place of use or is unable to supervise customers entering the solarium and the use of the equipment, for example because of other duties or a short absence from the place of use, the use of the equipment must be prevented. This means that the solarium room or business premises must be closed (e.g. by locking the room door) or otherwise prevented from using the equipment (e.g. by switching off the equipment) whenever the person in charge is not present.
The age of the young person using the sunbed must be checked
If necessary, the person in charge must check the age of the person using the sunbed so that a person under 18 years of age cannot use the sunbed.
Instruction on the use of eye protection shall be given
The responsible person shall, if necessary, instruct the customer on how to protect his/her eyes. Simply closing the eyes does not provide sufficient protection against UV radiation, so eye protection must be used and must be available free of charge. The use of eye protection is the responsibility of the operator.
Instruction on the technical use of the equipment, in particular on setting the tanning time, should be given
If necessary, the responsible person shall instruct the customer on the safe use of the equipment. The person in charge shall provide instructions, in particular when a person enters the solarium for the first time or if the person is unable to operate the solarium himself/herself. In particular, instruction on the use of the timer (selecting and setting the appropriate tanning time), the selection of tanning lamps and the use of the stop button is essential. The client should be instructed not to spend more than five minutes in the tanning bed the first time, regardless of whether the skin is tanned or not.
One should never stay in the solarium for so long that the skin becomes red after a visit. Special care should be taken during the first few visits. The first visit should be for no more than five minutes, regardless of whether the skin is tanned or not. The time spent in the solarium should therefore always be adjusted according to the skin's tolerance. Those with the most sensitive skin types (I and II), whose skin is sensitive and not very tanned, should not use the sunbed at all.
It is the operator's responsibility to ensure that the customer protects his/her eyes when using the sunbed and that eye protection is available at the place of use. If eye protectors or goggles are sold at the place of use of the solarium and are not available free of charge, a situation may arise where the customer does not protect his/her eyes at all. If the customer is not wearing eye protection or goggles, the operator or person in charge must refuse to provide the service in accordance with the health and safety requirements of the service.
Closing the eyes does not protect them sufficiently from the strong UV rays of the sunbed.
The instructions for the use and radiation safety of the equipment must comply with the requirements. The operator shall ensure that instructions for the use and radiation safety of the equipment are available in the immediate vicinity of the solarium equipment.
Radiation safety instructions
The operator shall ensure that information on the dangers of ultraviolet radiation emitted by the sunbed and on the limitation of exposure is prominently displayed at the place of use of the sunbed. STUK's poster "Age limit for sunbed use 18" covers the radiation safety instructions. Despite the written instructions, the person in charge should instruct the customer on the correct and safe use of the sunbed, especially during the first few times of use.
In commercial premises where the payment machine is located in a different room from the tanning bed, radiation safety instructions should be available at the payment machine in addition to the instructions for use. A STUK poster "Age limit for sunbed use 18" at the pay station and in the individual tanning room is considered sufficient guidance on UV radiation safety.
No information may be given to the user of the solarium that contradicts the information on radiation safety provided on the STUK poster. For example, claims that the use of sunbeds promotes health or cures diseases should not be made. Nor should it be recommended to use cosmetics, e.g. creams or other products that are claimed to promote tanning, before entering a sunbed.
Warnings about UV radiation and light-sensitising medicinal products are not required in the solarium room, but may be displayed. Information leaflets with a list of these medicinal products and product names may not be comprehensive or up-to-date. If the list is to be displayed, it is recommended that a statement should be added to the effect that the listed medicinal products are examples. In this way, the list would not provide incorrect or incomplete information.
Instructions for using the controls/keys of the sunbed
In order to prevent health hazards, in addition to the radiation safety instructions, the sunbed room should have instructions on how to use the timer and other functions of the device, such as the emergency stop button or the buttons for lamp selection. These instructions shall be available even if the tanning bed customer is instructed verbally on the use of the equipment.
Solarium equipment and lamps used in solarium services must also meet a number of requirements.
The timer settings on the solarium equipment must be set in such a way that the solarium is safe to use. Since the first time the sunbed is used, the exposure time must not exceed 5 minutes, the shortest sunbed time that the customer can choose must not exceed 5 minutes.
The longest tanning time available to the user must not exceed 33 minutes. In other words, the device timer is non-compliant if the shortest selectable tanning time is longer than 5 minutes or the longest selectable time is longer than 33 minutes.
The UV radiation produced by the devices must not be too strong. The intensity of the UV radiation depends on the lamps used in the device. Therefore, when replacing broken or old lamps, the service provider should ensure that the replacement lamps are suitable for use in the sunbed equipment concerned. The manufacturer of the equipment will usually have specified in the user manual of the equipment the lamp models suitable for use in the equipment. Newer sunbed devices may also have an 'equivalence code' on the rating plate and in the instruction manual, which allows the user to select the appropriate lamps for the device. The equivalence code is given in the form:
100-R-(17-22)/(2,1-2,9)
The first digit of the code indicates the rated wattage of the appropriate lamp. The letter following the number indicates whether the lamp is equipped with a reflector and the type of reflector, if any. The last part describes the characteristics of the UV radiation emitted by the lamp and the range allowed for replacement lamps.
The rated wattage of the replacement lamp and the type of reflector shall be as indicated in the equivalent code. In addition, the values describing the characteristics of the UV radiation shall fall within the range of the equivalence code. For example, a lamp with the code 100-R-20/2,5 may therefore be used in a device with an equivalence code as shown in the example above.
The maximum permissible amount of UV radiation for solarium equipment is laid down in a STUK regulation.
Supervisory authorities
Solarium services are regulated by the Radiation Act and the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) regulation issued under the Act. The competent authority for radiation legislation is STUK. Municipal health inspectors carry out their inspections under the Radiation Act in accordance with their own monitoring plan.
STUK
STUK supervises the safety of solarium equipment and its use. The main form of supervision is on-site inspections, which may be carried out on an unannounced basis.
Municipal health inspectors and STUK
The municipal health protection authority also inspects solarium operations and equipment as part of its control activities. The national health protection surveillance programme sets the inspection frequency for solarium sites at 0.2, i.e. once every five years. The municipal health protection authority submits its inspection findings to STUK. If there are deficiencies or omissions in the matters inspected under the Radiation Act, the health protection authority does not issue orders for corrective measures. STUK acts as the authority in these matters and, if necessary, obliges the operator to remedy the deficiencies found during the inspection. However, the municipal health protection authority may, within the limits of its time and resources, give the operator instructions and advice to put things right.
The municipal health protection authority may charge the operator a fee for the inspection it carries out.