St. Thomas Barbers and Hairdressers to Attend Seminar

Over 100 hairdressers and barbers in St. Thomas will attend a one-day seminar, to familiarize them with the new licensing guidelines following the implementation of the Public Health (Hairdressers, Beauty Therapists, Cosmetologists and Beauty Salons) and (Barbers and Barbers shops) Regulations 2004.
The seminar, organized by the St. Thomas Health Department in collaboration with the parish council, will be held on Wednesday, March 2 at the Anglican Church Hall in Morant Bay.
The new regulations have replaced the 1941 legislation that only spoke to barbers and barbershops and have widened the scope to include hairdressers and other related professionals, which now need to be licensed in order to conduct their businesses.
Acting Chief Public Health Inspector at the St. Thomas Health Department, Pauline Bryant-Ellington, told JIS News that participants would be informed of the new regulations, licensing process, the new fee structure and how to improve the sanitary conditions at their establishments.
“We are seeking to improve standards. We want to make sure that barbers and hairdressers are operating at standards where their premises are sanitary and their operations do not in any way affect negatively, the health of persons who use their services,” she said.
She informed that under the new regulations, a public health inspector must inspect the barbershop and hairdressing salon before granting a certificate of health to the operator, providing there are no “public health nuisances”.
Additionally, Mrs. Bryant-Ellington noted, the operator would have to be “health certified” by the public health department before being issued with a health permit.
Under the revised regulations, the licensing fee for barbers is $2,500 while hairdressers and cosmetologists will pay $3,000 and the beauty therapist licence will cost $3,500. These costs do not include the fee to operate the respective establishments.
The licensing fee to operate a barbershop is $3,500 and $5,000 for hairdressing and/or cosmetology operations.
The cost to operate premises such as a beauty salon is $4,000 and if barbering takes place there, the licence will cost $5,000. In addition, each of these operators will be required to acquire a health certificate and pay an extra $500 per licence for each trainee they engage in the service they offer. The licence is valid for a year and is non-transferable.