Practitioner Membership Requirements

The AUPP’s Professional Practitioner requirements are based on standards established by the professional industry to ensure the safest procedures for practitioners and clients.

Table of Contents

Ethical Requirements

  1. No piercing guns are used in the studio (including mechanical, spring-loaded, or hand pressure systems)
  2. Does not offer nipple or genital piercing services (including piercings, jewellery changeovers, and consultations) for clients under the age of 18
  3. Gives written and verbal aftercare instructions for piercing procedures.
  4. Requires completed release forms and sight/records ID before every piercing procedure
  5. If the procedure room is used for services other than piercing, it must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before use for any piercing services

Training Requirements

  1. Agrees they understand correct hand hygiene techniques
  2. Holds valid Blood-borne Pathogens (BBP) training certificate
  3. Holds valid, accredited First Aid & CPR certificates:
    • Australia: HLTAID011, HLTAID010 & HLTAID009
    • New Zealand: NZQA 6400, 6401 & 6402
  4. Holds valid any government-required certifications or licenses (if applicable)

Procedure Requirements

  1. Uses single-use, non-latex gloves when performing piercing services
  2. Uses sterile, single-use, non-latex gloves for piercing procedures
  3. Uses an aseptic, single-use set-up for piercing procedures, eg:
    1. aseptic drape and or a visual identifying prep (such as iodine)
    2. Post-piercing cleaning (sterile wipe/gauze recommended)
  4. Uses mask and beard net (if applicable) for every piercing procedure with potential bodily fluid risk

Environmental Requirements

  1. Completely separate, walled (floor to minimum 2.4m height) procedure room with a door/doors. (Curtains are not accepted as dividers/separators)
  2. Completely sealed, non-porous flooring in the procedure room, with the intersection between floors and walls covered by continuous skirting
  3. Non-porous fixings/curtains/decorations in the procedure room
  4. Appropriately sized HEPA air filter or other air purification system for the procedure room
  5. Dedicated, warm hand washing facilities within direct access of each procedure room (inside room with foot or motion controlled is suggested)
  6. Hand-washing instructions are displayed at all hand-washing facilities
  7. Liquid hand soap dispenser(s) at all hand-washing facilities
  8. Single-handed or hands-free paper towel dispenser/hand dryer at all hand washing facilities
  9. A clearly labelled, secured sharps disposal container with direct, hands-free access in each procedure room (wall mounted is suggested)
  10. A clearly labelled, biohazardous waste container with a hands-free lid and direct, hands-free access in each procedure room
  11. Single-use, non-latex gloves are used at jewellery displays/counters for handling jewellery

Sterility/Reprocessing Requirements

  1. Uses a steam-under-pressure autoclave with a class B or S cycle that is compliant with current national standards
  2. Practices a minimum of one of the following tests for all actively used sterilisers:
    1. Daily helix tests with the use of class 6 indicators
    2. Weekly in-house spore testing
    3. Monthly third-party spore testing

If reprocessing contaminated equipment:

  1. Uses an automated washer or covered ultrasonic compliant with current national standards
  2. A clearly labelled, designated, appropriate container to store contaminated items before reprocessing
  3. Dedicated enclosed sterilisation area with door/doors and appropriately sized HEPA air filter or other air purification system
  4. Completely sealed, non-porous flooring in the reprocessing room, with the intersection between floors and walls covered by continuous skirting
  5. Enclosed, non-porous containers for storage of all piercing implements.
  6. Uses PPE for manual tool reprocessing, including:
    1. Disposable gloves
    2. Disposable apron
    3. Disposable arm sleeves
    4. Disposable mouth protection
    5. Eye protection (disposable mask with eye shield suggested)
  7. Uses a steam-under-pressure autoclave with a class B or S cycle that is compliant with current national standards

Jewellery Requirements

  1. No wearable parts of jewellery sold or installed at the studio are made of the following materials:
    1. Acrylic or PMMA
    2. Rubber
    3. Non-bioinert silicone
  2. All items sold or installed at the studio must not have external tapping (including step-down style threading)
  3. All jewellery installed into fresh and healing piercings within the studio must meet the following minimum requirements:
    1. All threaded or press-fit jewellery must have internal tapping (no threads on the exterior of posts and barbells)
    2. Have smooth surfaces and ends and must be free of nicks, scratches, burrs, and polishing compounds. Metals must have a consistent mirror finish on surfaces that frequently come into tissue contact
    3. No seam, hinge, join, or hallmark may pass through the piercing channel
  4. All jewellery installed into fresh and healing piercings within the studio must meet the following minimum material requirements:
    1. Any and all materials that meet ASTM and/or ISO standards for implantation. Examples of these include, but are not limited to:
      1. Steel that is ASTM F138 compliant or ISO 5832-1 compliant
      2. Steel that is ISO 10993-6, 10993-10 and/or 10993-11 compliant
      3. Unalloyed titanium that is ASTM F67 or ISO 5832-2  compliant
      4. Alloyed Titanium (Ti6Al4V ELI) that is ASTM F136 compliant or ISO 5832-3 compliant
      5. Alloyed Titanium  (Ti6Al7Nb ELI) that is ASTM F1295 compliant or  ISO 5832-11 compliant
    2. Solid 14 karat or higher yellow, white, or rose gold that is nickel and cadmium-free. Gold jewellery used for initial piercing may not be:
      1. Plated, unless using materials approved by this standard over solid 14 karat or higher yellow, white, or rose gold that is nickel and cadmium-free
      2. Gold-filled
      3. Gold overlay/vermeil
    3. Solid unalloyed or alloyed platinum that is nickel and cadmium free.
    4. Unalloyed Niobium (Nb) that is ASTM B392 compliant. This includes but is not limited to:
      1. commercial grade 2 Niobium
      2. commercial grade 4 Niobium that contains 1% Zirconium
    5. Glass that is lead-free. This includes, but is not limited to:
      1. Fused quartz
      2. Borosilicate
      3. Soda-lime
    6. Be ASTM F2999 compliant (for people over 12 years of age) or ASTM F2923 (for people under 12 years of age)