Failed Beauty Shop Inspections Risk Public Health

September 20, 2013

A new report says lax inspection procedures by the state Cosmetology Board put public health at risk. The Auditor General says a review of 54 beauty shops licensed over a 6-year period found 22 of them had still not been inspected. Even those that had been said it took an average of more than six months from the time they opened their doors. Auditors say that allowed the salons to operate in ways that endanger the public with unsafe and unsanitary conditions. The board’s executive director Donna Aune says at least part of the problem has been a lack of help.

“We're low on staff,” Aune said. “There's no question about it. We've got a hiring freeze over the last 5-10 years. We need more people. There's no question about it.”

The Auditor General’s office also found inspections were not always thorough or consistent. It says specific complaints were not always adequately investigated.