Sanitary Procedure for a Nail Salon — 2026 Template, 12 Sections, No More Fear

Anna printed out eight pages of a sanitary procedure from the internet, signed them, put them in a binder. The PPIS inspector on Wednesday at 9:15 looked through it for a minute and pointed his finger at the third paragraph: "Mrs. Anna, this is a procedure for a kebab bar. HACCP. Not for a nail salon." A 1 500 PLN fine plus 14 days to fix it.

A sanitary procedure is one .docx file, twelve points, a signature, a binder. Sounds simple, but 7 out of 10 procedures from free internet templates fail inspection — they are either copied from the food industry, or missing key elements, or use names of products withdrawn from the GIS register (Polish biocide database). Below: exactly what must be in it, what is missing from free templates, and where to get a template tailored to a nail salon.

What a sanitary procedure is and why Sanepid (state sanitary inspection) starts with it

A sanitary-hygiene procedure is a written description of all hygiene and safety procedures in your salon. The requirement comes from the act on prevention and control of infections (Journal of Laws 2008, No. 234, item 1570) plus regulations of the GIS (Główny Inspektorat Sanitarny — central sanitary office) for the cosmetics industry.

The PPIS (Powiatowa Stacja Sanitarno-Epidemiologiczna — local sanitary station) inspector starts with it for three reasons. First — it is the document that gathers in one place everything the salon promises to follow. Second — assessing "whether the salon is in order" takes 30 seconds (the document is in the binder or it isn't). Third — if the procedure is missing, the inspector knows that further inspection will probably find more shortcomings, so he looks more carefully.

The procedure is 8–12 pages, A4 format, in 12 points. It does not need to be written in legal language — a concrete description of who does what in the salon is enough. Sanepid (state sanitary inspection) prefers plain language over wording from executive acts, because then they see that the owner understands her own procedures.

Twelve points that the sanitary procedure must contain

The minimum list from the GIS (Główny Inspektorat Sanitarny — central sanitary office) regulation plus elements that the inspector usually checks first. Each of the 12 points is a separate chapter, half to one A4 page.

1. Salon data

Company name, NIP (tax ID), salon address (if different from the company seat), owner's first and last name, scope of services provided (classic manicure, hybrid, pedicure, brows, lashes). Plus the date the procedure was drawn up and the planned update date (once a year).

2. Scope of the procedure

Defines whom and what it applies to. Standard wording: "The procedure applies to all persons providing services in the salon, to clients during treatments, and to persons present on the salon premises."

3. Washing and disinfection of staff hands

The most frequently inspected point. Step by step: when to wash (before the treatment, after, after taking off gloves), with what (antibacterial soap, skin disinfectant), how long (30–60 seconds). Plus a technique instruction — for example the 6-step WHO method.

4. Surface disinfection

The workstation between clients, chairs, lamps, ledges, door handles, dispensers. Each surface with a specific biocidal product and concentration. Standard: the workstation after each client with Velodes Plus 2.5%, chairs and lamps once a day with the same product diluted to 1.5%. The biocidal product must be registered in the GIS register (Polish biocide database).

5. Tool sterilization

If you use an autoclave — description of the cycle (134°C, 18 minutes, 2.1 atm; or 121°C, 30 minutes for class N), the procedure of packing into sterilization pouches, marking the cycle date, archiving sterilization cards for 12–60 months. Full autoclave documentation in a separate article.

If you use only disposable tools — describe the procedure of opening the packaging in front of the client (proof that the pack was sealed) and disposal of used sharps in a certified CWO container.

6. Waste handling

A nail salon produces hazardous waste (code 18 01 03* — used sharps, gauze with blood) and other waste (code 18 01 04 — gauze, cotton, packaging). Description: what container for each type, who collects it (a company licensed to transport medical waste), how often, where you store it before collection. Requires registration in BDO (Polish waste-management database).

7. Disinfection after a client with an infection or blood

A special procedure when a client declares active nail mycosis, herpes, an open wound, or there is blood on the tool. A stronger biocidal product (e.g. Sterylis Liquid 100%), longer exposure time (5–15 minutes instead of the standard 30 seconds), disposal of disposable tools even if they would normally go to the autoclave.

8. Procedure in case of a needlestick injury or cut

For both stylists and clients. First aid, wound disinfection, documentation of the incident (date, time, description, witness), notification to the family doctor or hospital when the needlestick injury is deep. Plus a field for the signature of the injured person and the witness.

9. First aid and first aid kit

List of kit contents, where it is kept, who checks expiry dates (once every 6 months). A detailed list of contents of the first aid kit for a nail salon separately.

10. Quality control

What and how often you check: biological control of the autoclave (biological indicator (sporal test) once a month), RODO (Polish GDPR — same as EU GDPR) audit (once a year), technical inspection of equipment (once a year), update of biocidal products in the GIS register (Polish biocide database) (once a quarter).

11. Staff training

If you employ staff — initial health and safety training (before the first day of work), periodic (every 3 years), sanitary (once a year). If you work alone — you write that the owner continues sanitary self-education through online or industry courses.

12. Procedure updates

Who updates it (the owner), when (once a year and at every significant change — for example a new biocidal product, a new service, a new workstation), where the update date is recorded (on the first page of the procedure, in the "date of last update" field).

The full sanitary procedure template with [_____] fields to fill in your salon's data is in the START 249 PLN package. Twelve points in everyday Polish, with a list of biocidal products registered in the GIS register (Polish biocide database) and step-by-step implementation instructions.

Six red flags in free internet templates

Most free sanitary procedure templates for beauty salons come from three sources: gastronomy HACCP (food-industry standard), an archive from before 2018 (before RODO (Polish GDPR — same as EU GDPR)), or Polish forums where someone pasted a cosmetology procedure from another field. Six things the inspector notices immediately:

1. Biocidal product names from gastronomy. Domestos, Pur, table salt — all from the HACCP (food-industry standard) system for restaurants. In a nail salon, biocidal products must be from the GIS register (Polish biocide database) of biocidal products (Velodes, Sterylis, Aerodesin, Manisoft). The inspector knows both lists by heart.
2. No autoclave biological control procedure. A biological indicator (sporal test) once a month is the absolute minimum. A procedure that does not mention a biological test is outdated or written for a salon without an autoclave (for example a hairdressing salon).
3. Procedures from a "hairdressing salon". The inspector knows that hairdressing scissors do not pierce the skin, but a manicure drill bit does. The sanitary procedure of a hairdressing salon omits chemical disinfection after blood contact, which is a gap for a nail salon.
4. No place for a signature and update date. A procedure without the owner's signature = formally not in force. Without an update date = it is unclear whether it is current. The inspector needs both, on the first page.
5. No procedure for handling a needlestick injury. This is one of the four things the PIP (labour inspectorate) checks mandatorily for salons under health and safety. Missing from 60% of free templates.
6. RODO (Polish GDPR — same as EU GDPR) clauses from before 2018. Anything from before May 2018 refers to the personal data protection act of 1997. After RODO (GDPR), that legal basis no longer applies. The UODO (Polish data-protection authority) inspector checks it in the client card, but the sanitary procedure also invokes it.

You can download the free sanitary-hygiene procedure NR-START-01 — the first 3 pages of the procedure from the package, ready to fill in, as a sample of style and structure. The full 12-page procedure plus 10 other documents in the START package.

How to write a sanitary procedure from scratch

Five practical steps, for someone who wants to do it themselves without a ready-made template. Real time: 8–14 hours of work spread over 3–5 evenings.

1. Gather the physical data of the salon. Workstations, equipment, biocidal products, waste contractors. Make a list of what you physically have. Without this, the procedure will be a generality.
2. Check biocidal products in the GIS register (Polish biocide database). Go to rejestr.gov.pl/biobojcze, enter the name of every product you use. Write down the registration number. If any is not in the register — change the biocidal product before you write the procedure.
3. Write each of the 12 points separately. Half an A4 page per point. Do not copy from the internet — write in your own words, describing what you really do in the salon. The inspector will recognise a copy immediately, because he has seen the same procedure in five other salons.
4. Merge into one document. Title page with salon data, table of contents, 12 points, signature, date. Save as PDF and .docx (one for printing, the other for editing during updates).
5. Put it in the binder. Together with the client card, the sterilization card, biocidal product certificates, BDO (Polish waste-management database) documentation. The binder stands in a visible place — the inspector likes to see it at the entrance.

An inspection in a salon with a good procedure and without one

Anna from the beginning of the article — a procedure from the internet, a 1 500 PLN fine plus 14 days to fix it. After two weeks she bought the START package, filled in the fields, put it in the binder. The second inspection six months later — the inspector pointed his finger at the binder, asked about one photo in the client card, signed the protocol with no remarks in 35 minutes.

Marta from Wrocław bought the START package in the first week the salon was open. The sanitary procedure was in the binder from day one. The first PPIS (Powiatowa Stacja Sanitarno-Epidemiologiczna — local sanitary station) inspection after 9 months — the inspector glanced at the procedure for 20 seconds, asked about two biocidal products, nodded. The whole visit 28 minutes, zero shortcomings.

How the procedure fits into the rest of the documentation

The sanitary procedure does not work on its own. It is the central document in the binder, but refers to others: the client card (in the infection-handling procedure), the disinfection plan (operational details), autoclave documentation (cycle cards), BDO (Polish waste-management database) documentation (waste codes, reports).

The START 249 PLN package delivers all these documents together, in consistent numbering and with cross-references between documents. You do not have to glue together twelve templates from different sources — one pack, one logic, one implementation.

FAQ — Frequently asked questions

Does the sanitary procedure have to be in a binder or can it be on the computer?

Sanepid (state sanitary inspection) asks for a paper copy. Print it out. On the computer you can have a working version (for editing during updates), but in the binder it should physically be printed, signed, with a date. Required to be available on site during the salon's opening hours.

What if I change disinfection products — do I have to rewrite the whole procedure?

Only the point concerning the changed biocidal product (point 4 — surface disinfection, or point 5 — tool sterilization). You print a new page, replace it in the binder, update the date on the first page of the procedure. The whole procedure is updated at least once a year — at the last inspection the inspector checks the date and compares it with the biocidal products he physically sees in the salon.

Is the procedure the same for a mobile and a stationary salon?

The main structure is identical — 12 points. The difference is in three places: point 1 (the address of a mobile salon = the places where services are provided, not one specific address), point 4 (surface disinfection — you add a procedure for disinfection at the client's place), point 6 (transport of used sharps from the client's home to be segregated at the salon base). The rest — identical. Full specifics of a mobile salon separately.

Can I use the same procedure in two salons if I have a chain?

No. Each salon has its own sanitary procedure tailored to a specific address, equipment, and biocidal products. The procedure refers to the physical conditions of a given premises. You can have a template (a base) from which you create separate procedures for each salon — but each copy must be signed and refer to a specific address.

Is the sanitary procedure the same as the salon regulations?

No. The sanitary procedure describes hygiene and safety — required by Sanepid (state sanitary inspection) (PPIS). The salon regulations describe the rules of the contract between the salon and the client — required by consumer law and the civil code. Both documents separately, both in the binder, both in the START 249 PLN package.