New sunbed guidance is not the cure

Subject: CIEH

The CIEH will continue to lobby for a ban on the use of sunbeds by under 18’s, despite the publication of HSE guidance to reduce the risks to health of using UV tanning equipment.

The CIEH believe that sunbeds should not be used for cosmetic purposes but that in the absence of an outright ban additional controls must be introduced. As a minimum these controls should:

• Prohibit the use of sunbeds by under 18’s
• Prohibit unsupervised facilities
• Require appropriate training for operators
• Require the provision of appropriate information to users to enable them to make informed choices based on an understanding of the risks

Speaking on behalf of the CIEH Principal Policy Officer Jenny Morris said:

“While we recognise that the HSE’s guidance can only be based on existing health and safety legislation, it is evident that there are inadequacies in current control measures.

“Over exposure to UV radiation is a known cause of skin cancer and incidence is rapidly increasing. The evidence is now clear that the use of sunbeds, particularly at an early age, increases the risk of contracting skin cancer and urgent action is needed to protect the most vulnerable.”

This HSE guidance contains general information for people who are responsible for operating UV tanning facilities and reflects good practice for employers operating such equipment.

It is recommended by the CIEH that practitioners use the guidance to encourage good practice – while we continue to lobby for tighter regulation.

The HSE Reducing the health risks from the use of ultraviolet (UV) tanning equipment can be downloaded from the HSE website and a poster to help raise awareness can be found here.