If you work in tattooing, body piercing, cosmetic tattooing or another skin-penetration service, you may have noticed that infection-control requirements have been receiving increased attention across Australia.
With updates to industry guidance in several states, it's a good time to review your studio procedures and make sure you're working from the current requirements that apply to your business.
But here's something important to remember: infection-control requirements are not identical across every state and territory.
A procedure that is appropriate in Queensland may not automatically be the correct procedure for a studio in Victoria, NSW or another part of Australia.
So, what should you be checking in your studio?
AS 5369:2023 — What Is It and Why Does It Matter?
One of the significant developments in the reprocessing of reusable equipment is the introduction of AS 5369:2023 – Reprocessing of reusable medical devices and other devices in health and non-health related facilities.
This Standard replaced a number of previous Australian Standards relating to sterilisation and reprocessing.
For tattooists, body piercers and other skin-penetration practitioners who use reusable instruments, understanding the principles of appropriate reprocessing is essential.
Queensland's 2024 Infection Control Guidelines incorporated principles associated with AS 5369:2023, while NSW Health requires reusable skin-penetrating instruments to be sterilised in accordance with the Standard.
What does this mean for your studio?
Infection control isn't simply about switching on your autoclave and waiting for the cycle to finish.
A safe reprocessing system considers the entire journey of your equipment, from the moment an instrument becomes contaminated through to its storage after sterilisation.
Your procedures should address:
- How contaminated instruments are handled and transported.
- Where cleaning takes place.
- How clean and contaminated areas are separated.
- How instruments are cleaned before sterilisation.
- Whether appropriate cleaning products are being used.
- How instruments are packaged.
- How the steriliser is loaded.
- Which sterilisation cycle is appropriate.
- How cycles are monitored.
- What records are maintained.
- How sterile equipment is stored.
- How recontamination is prevented after processing.
The basic principle is:
Contaminated → Clean → Sterile
Every stage should be designed to reduce the risk of contamination.
However, the exact requirements for your studio depend on your state or territory.
What Should Each State and Territory Be Checking?
Australia does not have one single set of infection-control rules that applies identically to every skin-penetration business. Your local legislation, regulations, health-department guidance and council requirements all matter.
Here's a practical overview of the areas practitioners should review.
Queensland
Queensland's Infection Control Guidelines for Personal Appearance Services 2024 came into effect on 8 August 2024. These guidelines represented a significant update to the state's previous guidance.
The updated guidelines incorporated changes associated with AS 5369:2023 and placed greater emphasis on the Spaulding Classification Scheme when determining how reusable equipment should be reprocessed.
If you operate in Queensland, review:
Reusable equipment: Understand whether your equipment is classified as critical, semi-critical or non-critical, and ensure it receives the appropriate level of reprocessing.
Sterilisation records: Check that the required information and observations for each sterilisation cycle are being recorded and maintained.
High-level disinfection: If your business uses high-level disinfection, make sure your products, procedures and documentation are appropriate.
Staff training: Ensure you have evidence of relevant infection-control training for your staff.
Business licensing: Confirm that your business holds the appropriate higher-risk personal appearance services licence and that relevant operators meet the required competency requirements.
Queensland takeaway: If you haven't reviewed your infection-control procedures since the 2024 guidelines were introduced, now is a good time to do so.
New South Wales
NSW Health's skin-penetration resources operate within the Public Health Act 2010 and Public Health Regulation 2022. NSW Health updated its industry information during 2025.
One particularly important requirement is that reusable skin-penetrating instruments must be sterilised using a steam-under-pressure benchtop autoclave in accordance with AS 5369:2023.
If you operate in NSW, review:
- Sterilisation: Ensure reusable instruments are cleaned, sterilised and maintained in a sterile condition until use.
- Reprocessing areas: Check that cleaning, disinfection and sterilisation take place in an appropriate area, with a layout that helps prevent contamination.
- Tattoo equipment: Review the cleaning and disinfection of tattoo machine motors and clip cords.
- Ink handling: Check your aseptic, non-touch technique when pouring ink into sterilised caps or containers. Where dilution is required, use sterile water and discard leftover diluted ink.
- Sterile equipment: Ensure sterile parts that will penetrate the skin are not touched with bare hands.
- Single-use items: Needles must be sterile, single-use and disposed of directly into an appropriate sharps container after use.
NSW takeaway: Review your sterilisation process, reprocessing area, tattoo equipment cleaning, ink handling and sterile equipment procedures against the current NSW Health resources.
Victoria
Victoria has its own regulatory framework and Department of Health guidance for hair, beauty, tattooing and skin-penetration businesses. Updated industry information and infection-prevention resources were issued during 2025.
Victorian practitioners should make sure they are referring to the requirements that apply in Victoria rather than relying on guidance from another state.
If you operate in Victoria, review:
- Sterility of skin-penetration articles.
- Cleaning and disinfection.
- Handwashing facilities.
- Management of reusable equipment.
- Single-use items.
- Sharps disposal.
- Treatment-area cleaning.
- Water quality.
- Waste management.
- Client information.
- Workplace procedures and documentation.
Victorian guidance states that skin-penetration articles must be sterile at the time of use. Articles must either be disposed of after use or appropriately sterilised for reuse.
Victorian takeaway: Check that your studio's procedures reflect the current Victorian Department of Health guidance, rather than relying on an older copy of the guidelines that may still be sitting in your business.
Western Australia
Western Australia has its own regulatory framework for skin penetration. Personal appearance businesses, including tattooing and body piercing, are regulated under the Health (Skin Penetration Procedures) Regulations 1998 and the relevant Code of Practice for Skin Penetration Procedures.
WA practitioners should review:
- Sterile equipment.
- Single-use needles and sharps.
- Cleaning and disinfection.
- Hand hygiene.
- Work surfaces.
- Waste and sharps disposal.
- Reusable equipment.
- Personal protective equipment.
- Client safety.
- Record keeping and workplace procedures.
WA takeaway: Don't automatically apply Queensland's 2024 requirements or NSW's AS 5369 requirements to your WA business. Check the current WA regulations and Code of Practice that apply to your services.
South Australia
South Australia has its own public-health and local-government requirements for skin-penetration businesses.
If you operate in SA, check your current requirements with SA Health and your relevant local authority, particularly around:
- Premises registration or approval.
- Infection-control procedures.
- Sterilisation.
- Reusable and single-use equipment.
- Sharps.
- Cleaning and disinfection.
- Waste disposal.
- Client safety.
SA takeaway: Make sure your studio is working from the current South Australian requirements, rather than relying on information from another state.
Tasmania
Tasmania has specific public-health requirements and guidance relating to tattooing and body piercing.
Practitioners should review their current requirements relating to:
- Sterilisation.
- Cleaning and disinfection.
- Single-use equipment.
- Sharps.
- Premises.
- Waste.
- Client information.
- Infection-control procedures.
Some published Tasmanian guidance is older than recent material issued in Queensland, NSW and Victoria. This makes it particularly important to check whether the information you rely on is still current.
Tasmania takeaway: Don't assume that a 2025 or 2026 update from another state automatically applies to your Tasmanian business.
Australian Capital Territory
The ACT has its own licensing and infection-control framework for skin-penetration businesses.
Businesses performing skin-penetration procedures must meet the applicable licensing requirements and comply with the relevant ACT infection-control code of practice.
If you operate in the ACT, check:
- Your current licence requirements.
- Applicable infection-control procedures.
- Sterilisation and reusable equipment requirements.
- Sharps disposal.
- Cleaning and disinfection.
- Premises requirements.
- Current ACT Health guidance
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory also has its own public-health requirements for skin penetration and personal appearance businesses.
If you operate in the NT, check your current NT Health requirements relating to:
- Premises.
- Sterilisation.
- Cleaning.
- Single-use equipment.
- Sharps.
- Waste.
- Infection-control procedures.
- Client safety.
NT takeaway: Make sure you are working from the current requirements that apply to your business and services.
What Should You Do Now?
Whether you're a tattooist, body piercer, cosmetic tattooist or another skin-penetration practitioner, this is a good opportunity to conduct a practical studio compliance check.
You don't necessarily need to completely overhaul the way you work. However, you should be able to clearly explain what happens to your equipment, why each step is necessary and what evidence you have that your procedures are being followed correctly.
1. Review Your Reprocessing Procedures
If you use reusable equipment, document exactly what happens from the moment it becomes contaminated until it is ready for use again.
Ask yourself:
- Where is the equipment cleaned?
- What is it cleaned with?
- How is it packaged?
- How is it sterilised?
- How is the sterilisation cycle monitored?
- What records are kept?
- Where is it stored afterwards?
- How do you know it has remained sterile?
If you can't clearly answer these questions, your reprocessing procedure is worth reviewing.
2. Review Your Autoclave Procedures
An autoclave is only one part of the sterilisation process. The steps before and after the cycle matter too.
Check that:
- The autoclave is appropriate for the equipment being processed.
- Manufacturer instructions are being followed.
- Sterilisation cycles are monitored correctly.
- Required records are maintained.
- Equipment is loaded correctly.
- Instruments are packaged appropriately.
- Sterile packs are stored correctly.
- The autoclave is maintained and serviced as required.
3. Review Your Single-Use Items
Single-use items must be treated as single-use.
This includes items such as:
- Needles.
- Cartridges.
- Razors.
- Applicators.
- Other disposable items.
Check that used single-use items are disposed of appropriately and that sharps go directly into a suitable sharps container.
A single-use item does not become reusable simply because it looks clean or hasn't been visibly contaminated.
4. Review Your Tattoo Setup
Tattooists should pay particular attention to the small details that can contribute to cross-contamination.
Review your procedures for:
- Machine barriers.
- Clip-cord protection.
- Machine cleaning.
- Ink caps.
- Ink handling.
- Dilution water.
- Work surfaces.
- Gloves.
- Razors.
- Spray bottles.
- Client preparation.
- Aftercare information.
Your setup should support a clean, controlled workflow from the beginning of the appointment to the end.
5. Review Your Piercing Setup
Body piercers should review:
- Sterile needles.
- Sterile jewellery where required.
- Sterile instruments.
- Jewellery handling.
- Packaging.
- Autoclave procedures.
- Work surfaces.
- Sharps disposal.
- Skin preparation.
- Aftercare.
- Cross-contamination controls.
Pay particular attention to anything that comes into contact with sterile equipment or the client's piercing site.
Why Keeping Your Procedures Current Matters
Infection-control training provides an important foundation, but completing a course is not the end of your responsibilities.
Your workplace procedures must also reflect the requirements that apply to your location, services and equipment.
As guidance changes, studios should make a habit of reviewing their procedures, updating documentation where necessary and ensuring staff understand what is expected of them.
This is especially important if:
- Your studio uses reusable equipment.
- You have purchased new equipment.
- Your sterilisation process has changed.
- You have employed or trained new staff.
- Your local authority has provided updated advice.
- Your infection-control procedures have not been reviewed for some time.
The Key Takeaway
There isn't one single set of infection-control requirements that applies identically to every tattooist and body piercer across Australia.
The national training requirements provide an important foundation, but the legislation, regulations, codes and health-department guidance applicable to your state or territory also matter.
If you've recently completed infection-control training but haven't reviewed your workplace procedures for some time, now is a good opportunity to do so.
You may not need to completely change the way you work. But you should know what the current requirements are, understand how they apply to your business and be able to demonstrate that your infection-control procedures are being followed.
Where Should You Start?
Start with the current guidance from your relevant state or territory health department and your local regulatory authority.
Don't rely on an old copy of a guideline sitting in your studio, information from another state or advice that may have been correct several years ago.
Check your local requirements. Review your procedures. Keep your documentation up to date. Protect your clients, your staff and your business.
Important: This article is intended as a general industry update only. Requirements can differ between states and territories and may change over time. It does not replace your state or territory legislation, regulations, local council requirements or current health-department guidance. Practitioners are responsible for ensuring their business complies with the current requirements applicable to their location and services.
