Sunbed check

The Federal Office for Radiation Protection (Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz, BfS) advises that anybody who, despite the health risks involved, would like to use a sunbed should make a quality check on their own as a matter of principle. The “sunbed check” below provides a checklist suitable for this purpose.

Sunbed Check – The check for your health

If one of the items listed below does not apply, you should not use the sunbed in question – irrespective of which certificate is displayed:

The tanning salon

is under supervision of specially trained and qualified staff.

The staff would

not admit under-18s, nor anyone with skin type I or II;

point out that UV radiation is harmful to health;

hand out an information note on the effects of UV-radiation without having been requested. The content of this information note is published in the UV Protection Ordinance (UV-Schutz-Verordnung, Bundesgesetzblatt, 2011; PDF pages 16 and 17, in German only);

ask whether

you were taking any medications;

you had frequent sunburn, particularly as a child;

you have prominent and / or many moles;

you or a member of your family have been diagnosed with skin diseases and / or skin cancer;

advise against using solaria if at least one of the above questions was answered in the affirmative;

ask how much time has elapsed since your previous visit to a solarium;

determine your skin type;

prepare an individual dosage schedule for ten tannings;

hand over protective goggles without having been requested;

advise to remove makeup or perfume before tanning.

On the business premises there are (clearly visible and legible) displays, including

the announcement „No use of sunbeds for under-18s”;

a notice of the exclusion criteria. These are published in the UV Protection Ordinance (UV-Schutz-Verordnung, Bundesgesetzblatt, 2011; top of page 15 in the PDF file, in German only);

information material.

In each cubicle there are (clearly visible and legible) displays, including

a poster featuring the safety instructions. These are published in the UV Protection Ordinance (UV-Schutz-Verordnung, Bundesgesetzblatt, 2011; bottom of page 15 in the PDF file, in German only;

information about the maximum exposure time specified for the unit in that cubicle;

information about the maximum exposure time for skin types I to IV specified for the unit in that cubicle, including the notice that skin types I and II are excluded from using sunbeds.

The tanning device

is equipped with emergency shutdown;

provides a marking of the minimum distance to be kept when the distance between the person irradiated and the device can be adjusted individually;