Health & Safety
Registration of Business/Activities
Premises carrying out the activity of Tattooing
What is Tattooing?
The art of tattooing can be traced as far back as ancient Britain and can be found in early examples of Maori women, who gouged their skin, red Indians, and in Japan where designs on the whole body were normal.
The method by which the tattoo is made is by dipping a needle into colour pigment and allowing the needle to gouge into the skin (the mid to upper dermis/coreum). This is the area where the nerves and sweat glands and small blood vessels are but the pigment is not taken up into the blood. In order to affect entry into the skin, the needle vibrates at between 2 - 3000 times a minute.
What do I have to do to meet requirements?
Firstly, it is a requirement that ear piercers premises and the persons carrying out ear piercing register with the local authority both when opening new premises and when a new occupier takes over existing premises.
Is there a fee?
Yes, there is a one off fee of £50.
Once I've registered, is that all I have to do?
No. This is simply a means of informing the council where you are. Once you've registered, your premises will be inspected by an Officer from the Environmental Health Department and you should not commence tattooing until your premises and practices have been approved. Following approval it is likely that any future inspection will be combined with an inspection under the Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978, which covers additional areas of health and safety.
- Tattooing Registration Form (.doc 29Kb)
- Tattooing Bye Laws (.pdf 220Kb)
