22.2 Shop Premises and Sanitation (N.J.A.C. 13:28-3.1 and 3.2)
Key Takeaways
- N.J.A.C. 13:28-3.1 is the premises rule: light and ventilation (including lavatories), hot and cold potable water, waste in clean covered containers, sanitary fixtures in good repair, floors cleaned daily, linens laundered with a bleach-type agent or disposable toweling before every patron contact, tools processed after every use under 13:28-3.2, and no smoking under the Smoke-Free Air Act.
- Shops licensed after May 18, 2009, or remodeled after that date with a new configuration, need Uniform Construction Code ventilation, a minimum of 70 foot-candles of artificial light, and laundry facilities that are separate from the work area, not in the lavatory, ventilated, and lint-free.
- N.J.A.C. 13:28-3.2(a) sanitizes implements by mild alkaline detergent, tap-water rinse, then an EPA-registered disinfectant labeled tuberculocidal for the labeled contact time or an FDA-registered autoclave, following the manufacturer, then air-dry and store in a clean drawer.
- Reusable manicure implements add 13:28-3.2(b): enzyme pre-soak, ultrasonic cycle of 10 minutes or the manufacturer's time, inspect for pitting and rust, then tuberculocidal disinfectant or autoclave; 13:28-3.2(d) requires discarding emery boards, orangewood sticks, and implements that cannot be sanitized after each use.
- Pedicure-basin between-client and end-of-day chemistry lives in Section 18.2; at shop level, still know that 13:28-3.2(c) exists, uses tuberculocidal spray or a 6 percent bleach wipe between clients, and uses a timed bleach circulation at close. Do not skip the sequence and do not paste it here as a second copy of Chapter 18.
Shop-level sanitation is not the same chapter as a pedicure recipe
Section 18.2 already walks the N.J.A.C. 13:28-3.2(c) pedicure-basin sequence: detergent brush, drain, rinse, disposable-towel dry, then tuberculocidal spray or a 6 percent sodium hypochlorite wipe for two and a half minutes between clients; at close, removable parts, detergent, 100 ppm bleach (1 teaspoon per gallon) run 30 minutes, brushes at 2,600 ppm (3/4 cup per gallon) for 30 minutes. Do not spend this section recopying that recipe. Domain 6 still expects you to know that shop premises have their own rule — N.J.A.C. 13:28-3.1 — and that every implement applied to a patron returns to 13:28-3.2, including the tuberculocidal-or-autoclave choice, the ultrasonic extra steps for manicure metal, and the discard rule for emery boards and orangewood sticks.
N.J.A.C. 13:28-2.5 already required the hardware: a designated cleaning and disinfecting area, one ultrasonic unit, a clean closed receptacle for sanitized tools at each station, closed linen containers, closed waste at each station, drying equipment, and a dispensary. Subchapter 3 tells you how to use that hardware every day. A shop can pass a square-footage inspection and still fail a sanitation inspection the same afternoon.
The 1,200-hour curriculum in N.J.A.C. 13:28-6.29 puts 20 hours on decontamination and infection control (15 class, 5 practical). Chapter 2 taught the science. This section teaches the New Jersey shop sentences the inspector and the NIC New Jersey law items actually quote.
N.J.A.C. 13:28-3.1 premises, paragraph by paragraph
13:28-3.1(a). All licensed shops, including lavatories therein, shall be properly lighted and ventilated. A beautiful styling room with a sealed, unventilated toilet fails this subsection even if the chairs are new.
13:28-3.1(b). Shops licensed after May 18, 2009, and shops applying after that date for remodeling with a new configuration, shall be ventilated consistent with N.J.A.C. 5:23, the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code, and shall have a minimum of 70 foot-candles of artificial light. Older shops that were not remodeled into a new layout keep 3.1(a)'s general light-and-ventilation duty; they do not get to ignore light. The 70 foot-candle number is the post-2009 / new-configuration number.
13:28-3.1(c). All licensed shops shall have hot and cold potable water, also consistent with N.J.A.C. 5:23. That pairs with 13:28-2.5's shampoo basin: the basin is useless if the water is not potable or not both hot and cold.
13:28-3.1(d). Waste goes in clean, covered containers in a manner that shall not pose a public health hazard. An open trash can at the station, a bag of hair left in the entry, or a biohazard mix of bloody wipes in the same uncovered pail as lunch scraps is a 3.1(d) problem. N.J.A.C. 13:28-2.5 already required a closed waste container accessible to each station; 3.1(d) is how that container is used.
13:28-3.1(e). For shops licensed after May 18, 2009, or remodeled after that date with a new configuration, laundry facilities shall be separate from the shop work area and not in the lavatory. Those laundry facilities shall be properly ventilated and lint free. A washer in the toilet room, or a dryer blowing lint onto styling stations, is the fact pattern.
13:28-3.1(f). The shop and the furniture, fixtures, equipment, supply cabinets, and drawers shall be maintained in a sanitary manner and in good repair. A cracked shampoo-bowl neck, a torn styling chair that cannot be wiped, or a sticky product drawer is not "character." It is 3.1(f).
13:28-3.1(g). All floors shall be thoroughly cleaned daily and maintained in good repair. Daily is the interval the rule actually writes. "We mop on Sundays" is not the rule.
13:28-3.1(h). Linens and toweling shall be laundered and sanitized using agents that reduce microbial contamination, such as bleach, before each and every direct contact with a patron. Disposable toweling may be used instead. A cape lining, a towel under a perm rod, or a pedicure towel that already dried one pair of feet does not go on the next patron because it "looks clean."
13:28-3.1(i). Tools, implements, and electrical appliances shall be maintained in a sanitary and safe manner. Tools and utensils applied directly to patrons shall be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized after each and every use in accordance with N.J.A.C. 13:28-3.2. This is the cross-walk sentence: 3.1 tells you when (after every patron contact); 3.2 tells you how.
13:28-3.1(j). Smoking is prohibited in all areas of licensed shops under the New Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act, N.J.S.A. 26:3D-55, and N.J.A.C. 8:6. There is no "in the dispensary with the door closed" exception in 13:28-3.1(j).
| 13:28-3.1 subsection | Shop duty |
|---|---|
| (a) | Light and ventilate the shop and its lavatories |
| (b) | After 5/18/2009 or new-configuration remodel: UCC ventilation and 70 foot-candles |
| (c) | Hot and cold potable water (UCC) |
| (d) | Waste in clean, covered containers; no public-health hazard |
| (e) | After 5/18/2009 or new-configuration remodel: laundry separate from work area, not in the lavatory, ventilated, lint-free |
| (f) | Furniture, fixtures, equipment, cabinets, drawers: sanitary and in good repair |
| (g) | Floors cleaned daily and in good repair |
| (h) | Linens laundered/sanitized with a bleach-type agent before every patron, or disposable |
| (i) | Direct-contact tools cleaned and sanitized after every use under 13:28-3.2 |
| (j) | No smoking (Smoke-Free Air Act) |
N.J.A.C. 13:28-3.2(a): the general implement sequence
A licensee shall sanitize implements and tools by this five-step sequence:
- Clean thoroughly with a mild alkaline detergent to remove soil, blood, or other foreign material. Disinfectant does not replace this wash. Blood or product left on a shear is still soil.
- Rinse with tap water after cleaning.
- Process with a chemical disinfectant registered by the EPA and labeled as being tuberculocidal for the contact time specified on the product label, or process in an autoclave registered with the FDA.
- Follow the manufacturer's instructions when using chemical disinfectant (dilution, contact time, whether to immerse or spray, when to discard the solution).
- Allow disinfected implements to air dry and store them in a clean drawer.
Two lawful end-states, not a third folk method: EPA tuberculocidal for the labeled time, or FDA autoclave. "Barbicide until it looks purple," a 10-second dunk, a UV cabinet as the only step, or boiling shears on a hot plate is not 13:28-3.2(a)3. The ultrasonic unit required by 13:28-2.5 is not a substitute for step 3 on general implements; it is extra hardware, and for manicure metal it becomes a required extra cycle under 13:28-3.2(b).
Air-dry then a clean drawer is the storage rule in 13:28-3.2(a)5. That drawer is the same idea as 13:28-2.5's clean closed receptacle at each station: sanitized tools do not sit in an open tray next to used combs.
Manicure metal, ultrasonic, and discard (13:28-3.2(b) and (d))
Reusable implements used in manicuring take additional steps before the tuberculocidal or autoclave step:
- An enzyme pre-soak before cleaning.
- Place the implement into an ultrasonic unit for a 10-minute cycle, or as the manufacturer recommends. Change the ultrasonic water and cleaning solution whenever it is visibly soiled, or at least daily. Disinfect the ultrasonic chamber at the end of each day with 70 percent isopropyl alcohol. Each time the chamber is filled, degas it for five to 10 minutes per the manufacturer, to remove air bubbles from filling turbulence.
- Inspect for pitting and rust; damaged implements leave service.
- Rinse, dry, and place into EPA tuberculocidal disinfectant for the labeled time or an FDA autoclave.
- Rinse, dry, and store in a clean drawer.
N.J.A.C. 13:28-3.2(d) is the porous-tool sentence: discard after each use all emery boards, orangewood sticks, and all implements and tools that cannot be sanitized. A washed emery board is still a discarded emery board. An orangewood stick that "only touched one client" is still discarded. Metal that can take 13:28-3.2(b) is processed; foam, wood, and paper files are not "disinfected" by a spray and a prayer.
Pedicure tubs: point to 13:28-3.2(c), do not re-teach Chapter 18
N.J.A.C. 13:28-3.2(c) still exists in this chapter because a C-H shop that offers pedicure is a shop that must run the basin protocol. The full between-client brush-drain-wipe-and-contact-time recipe and the full end-of-day screen, 100 ppm, and 2,600 ppm brush soak are Section 18.2. What Domain 6 still needs at shop level:
- you cannot skip 13:28-3.2(c) because "Chapter 18 already covered nails";
- between clients the interior is brushed with mild detergent, drained, rinsed, wiped with a disposable paper towel, then sprayed with EPA tuberculocidal for the labeled time or a 6 percent sodium hypochlorite bleach wipe for two and a half minutes;
- end of day still includes removing and disinfecting the screen, filter, and removable parts, then a timed bleach circulation.
If the exam item is a shop inspection of a C-H floor that also does pedicure, the lawful answer is that the basin follows 13:28-3.2(c) and the metal tools follow 13:28-3.2(a) or (b). If the item is the ppm arithmetic, that arithmetic was taught in 18.2 — use it; do not invent a third dilution here.
Scenario: ultrasonic missing, files in the jar
A C-H shop in Trenton has four manicure tables, a beautiful 13:28-2.5 shampoo area, and no ultrasonic unit. Manicurists wash metal bits with soap, dunk them in tuberculocidal disinfectant, and stand them in an open jar of dry bits labeled "clean." Used emery boards are sprayed and returned to a communal cup. Three separate failures sit in that picture. N.J.A.C. 13:28-2.5 requires one ultrasonic unit for metal implements. N.J.A.C. 13:28-3.2(b) requires the enzyme pre-soak and ultrasonic cycle for reusable manicure implements, then tuberculocidal or autoclave, then a clean drawer — not an open jar. N.J.A.C. 13:28-3.2(d) requires discard of emery boards after each use. A spray does not convert a porous file into a multi-use tool.
Scenario: linens, laundry, and the bathroom washer
The same shop keeps damp towels in an uncovered hamper, reuses a bleach-smelling towel on a second color client "because bleach sanitizes," and runs the washer in the lavatory of a shop that was built in 2016. N.J.A.C. 13:28-3.1(h) requires laundering and sanitizing before each and every patron contact, or disposable toweling — a towel does not get a second head because it was bleached last night. N.J.A.C. 13:28-2.5 requires closed containers for clean and soiled linens. N.J.A.C. 13:28-3.1(e) forbids laundry in the lavatory for a post-May 18, 2009 shop. The inspector does not need a pedicure-tub stopwatch to fail this floor.
Electrical appliances in 13:28-3.1(i) still must be sanitary and safe: clipper blades brushed and then disinfected per 13:28-3.2 after each patron, cords intact, no storage of a "clean" iron on a used towel. Chapter 9 already covered tool safety. This section adds the New Jersey after-every-patron duty and the tuberculocidal or FDA autoclave choice that 13:28-3.2(a)3 actually writes.
After washing and rinsing a pair of shears, what does N.J.A.C. 13:28-3.2(a)3 require before they may be stored for the next patron?
Which New Jersey shop rule matches N.J.A.C. 13:28-3.2(d) for nail files and orangewood sticks?
A C-H shop licensed in 2016 remodeled into a new floor plan. Which N.J.A.C. 13:28-3.1 statements apply to that shop?
Reusable metal manicure implements in a New Jersey C-H shop must, under N.J.A.C. 13:28-3.2(b), receive which extra steps that general 13:28-3.2(a) implements do not list?