Barbara Kanegsberg with special guest columnist Dr. Kevina O’Donoghue Reviewed by Ed Kanegsberg

“I have to let off steam, Barbara. Let’s talk” said Kevina.

Kevina was driving home from a cleanroom training session. Barbara really needed a break from the report she was writing. So, devoting part of a crisp, morning in Southern California and a cool evening in Ireland, they discussed some of the challenges facing our cleanrooms today with regard to cosmetics such as tattooed makeup, fake tans, and long, fake, gel nails. After lengthy discussions they came up with a few suggestions and ideas that perhaps may be worth a thought.

TATTOOED MAKEUP
Most cleanroom protocols state ‘No makeup allowed’. So imagine the fashion gurus concocting the idea of ‘glamour in the cleanroom without contamination’ the “ideal” solution—permanent makeup! Surely there should be no problem with a cleanroom employee arriving at work on Monday morning sporting tattooed eyeliner and lipstick.

Well, there is a problem. Other employees start to arrive at work in the cleanroom sporting eyeliner and lipstick that may not be tattooed, permanent makeup. So now the problem arises as to how we prove who is or is not wearing permanent makeup. Suddenly the standard cleanroom protocol of ‘No makeup allowed’ is non-existent. In some instances, the employee has requested a document from the tattoo artist certifying that the makeup was tattooed; this was kept in their file. This was the only escape route to avoid a finding of “non-conformance to procedure” during audits.

One approach to avoiding controversy regarding tattoos, natural beauty, and makeup would be to require everyone to wash their hands and faces before entering the cleanroom. Of course, as Kevina pointed out, there is the issue of contamination due to skin flakes from dry skin. Moisturized skin is preferable to dry skin. One solution might be to require everyone to wash their faces and then apply a cleanroom approved, non silicone moisturizer. Doctors have specified “scrub” procedures prior to performing surgery. One would think that employees should have specified decontamination procedures before they enter cleanrooms, particularly where products impacting public safety and patient safety are being produced.