Federal Agencies Occupational Safety and Health Administration The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was created as part of the U.S. Department of Labor to regulate and enforce safety and health standards to protect employees in the workplace. The standards set by OSHA are important to beauty professionals because of the products they use daily. OSHA standards address issues relating to the handling, mixing, storing, and disposing of products; general safety in the workplace; and your right to know about any potentially hazardous ingredients contained in the products and how to avoid these hazards. OSHA does this in part by requiring that chemical manufacturers and importers assess and communicate the potential hazards associated with their products through a Safety Data Sheet (SDS). An SDS is a 16-category, standard-format document that replaces the previously mandated MSDS or PSDS. Chapter 6 : “Chemistry & Chemical Safety” goes into depth on how to read an SDS. Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registers all types of disinfectants sold and used in the United States. Disinfectants (dis-in-FEK-tents) are chemical products that destroy most bacteria (excluding spores), fungi, and viruses on surfaces. It is against federal law to use any disinfecting product in a way contrary to the use indicated on its label. Before manufacturers can sell a product for disinfecting surfaces, tools, implements, or equipment, they must obtain an EPA registration number (indicated on a product label by “EPA Reg. No.” near the manufacturer’s name) that certifies that the disinfectant, when used correctly, will be effective against the pathogens listed on the label. For example, clipper disinfectants must be approved by the EPA for use with clippers in specific environments (such as a barbershop) or the manufacturer would be breaking federal law by marketing them as clipper disinfectants to the barber market. This also means that if you do not follow the label instructions for mixing, contact time, and the type of surface the disinfecting product can be used on, you are not complying with federal law (Figure 5-1). If there were an injury-related lawsuit, you could be held responsible. Figure 5-1. Details Follow all label instructions, especially when it comes to disinfectants. Here’s a Tip You can find a list of disinfectants approved by the EPA by going to the EPA’s website at http://www.epa.gov and entering a search on the home page for EPA-registered disinfectants. Disinfectants are not listed as “hospital grade” but instead are listed based on the pathogens they are effective against. Products on list D meet the criteria of most states for hospital disinfectants; products on list E meet the criteria of a tuberculocidal in those states where that is required.