Sunbeds ban on under-18s planned in crackdown

0 Comments | Yorkshire Post (Leeds, England), April 24, 2008

Children under 18 will be banned from using sunbeds under proposals set out yesterday.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) published a consultation document which could result in tougher regulation.

Under the plans, young children will be barred from using tanning beds and salons will have to be staffed at all times.

The Department of Health recently asked the HSE to review its guidance on the use of sunbeds to replace rules set out in 1995.

The review is the first element of the 2007 cancer reform strategy aimed at preventing skin cancer. More than 100 deaths from skin cancer every year in the UK are thought to be linked to the use of sunbeds.

The draft guidance is now followed by consultation.

Recommendations include staff making sure customers are fully informed about the dangers of sunbeds and taking steps to prevent youngsters using them.

Shop owners will also find guidance that explains operators' legal responsibilities, common hazards, how to assess risks and advice on operating UV tanning equipment safely, including provisions on staffing.

Yesterday's draft guidance featured advice for customers, including information on skin types.

According to the Department of Health, skin cancer rates are estimated to triple over the next 20 to 30 years. Recent research has shown that under-35s could be 75 per cent more likely to develop malignant melanoma if they use sunbeds.

Dr Colin Holden, president of the British Association of Dermatologists, said: "We are extremely encouraged by this first step in limiting sunbed use.

"Banning sunbeds for under- 18s is one of the measures we have been lobbying for, in addition to banning unsupervised, coin operated sunbeds and making it compulsory to display information about the health risks at all tanning parlours."

Meanwhile children as young as eight are putting their health at risk by using sunbeds, a survey has found. Which? magazine found three per cent of eight-to-15-year-olds, or 170,000 young people, have used a sunbed. Among 16- and 17-year-olds, 13 per cent had used one.

Kathy Banks, chief executive of The Sunbed Association, said: "It is compulsory for TSA members to operate to our strict code of practice, which we believe already exceeds the existing and proposed revisions to the HSE's guidance notes on sunbed use, which are not enforceable. The only exception would be the proposed revised guidance on the age of use. TSA certainly supports an age restriction on sunbed use and has always had an age restriction of no-one under 16 years in its code of practice."