Other Health Safety

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Penrith City Council (02) 4732 7777 (02) 4732 7958 council@penrithcity.nsw.gov.au 601 High St Penrith NSW 2750 Australia
Other Health Safety

We do not offer childhood immunisations, but support their importance. Contact your local doctor or Nepean Hospital's Population Health Unit on 4734 2022.

For more information about the benefits and risks of immunisation and immunisation standards:

Businesses that do any skin penetration procedures such as tattooing, acupuncture, waxing or piercing are regulated under the NSW Public Health Act 2010 and Public Health Regulation 2022.

Council is required under clause 32 of the Public Health Regulation 2012 to keep a register of premises in our area where skin penetration procedures are carried out. To register your premises please complete the Skin Penetration Premises Registration form.

There are also basic construction requirements outlined in the Local Government (General) Regulation 2021, and special requirements for mobile skin penetration businesses. See the NSW Health website for information.

Council's Environmental Health team regularly inspects local skin penetration businesses to protect public health. For further information contact us on 4732 7777.

Requirements for mobile skin penetration businesses

Thinking of starting up a mobile skin penetration business? You will need to:

  • get Council approval to operate
  • comply with the relevant public health legislation at all times
  • comply with NSW Health guidelines at all times - see the NSW Health website
  • keep your equipment clean and well-maintained at all times. For example, storage containers should be regularly cleaned and disinfected.
  • have an autoclave for sterilising any re-usable equipment or use single-use, pre-sterilised equipment
  • dispose of single-use equipment immediately after first use
  • carry a spare set of equipment in case of contamination or damage of one set during a consultation
  • purchase a sharps container for the disposal of sharps and dispose of full sharps containers at a licensed waste facility
  • store equipment in sealed containers during transport to prevent contamination
  • store used equipment separately from unused and clean equipment
  • store equipment when at home in a clean area away from children and animals
  • have direct access to hand washing facilities, with a supply of warm potable water
  • carry your own supply of soap (pump pack) and paper towel for hand washing
  • make sure if any staff member has a cut or open wound on their hands or fingers especially, they cover it with a waterproof dressing
  • make sure all staff wear gloves and a clean apron during all skin penetration procedures.

If supplying your own aprons and towels, they should be changed for each client and not reused until they are properly washed. Store dirty linen in a sealed container and preferably in a different section of your vehicle to clean linen and equipment to prevent contamination. 

Council inspections

Before a mobile skin penetration business can start operating, it needs to undergo a health inspection by the local Council to ensure compliance with the legislation. It will look at structural safety of the mobile unit, equipment to be used, proper infection control practices, correct waste disposal methods and good hygiene management of staff. If your local Council is not Penrith, a Penrith City Council officer also needs to inspect your business before you can operate in Penrith City - including at temporary or outdoor events such as festivals, exhibitions or conventions. Please make a copy of the base local government area's inspection report available before or at the inspection.

We also need to know:

  • the type of skin penetration procedures
  • where they will be carried out
  • how long you will spend at a particular site and
  • information about your waste disposal.

Public Swimming Pools, Spa Pools and Splash Parks

In the interests of public health, public swimming pools, spa pools and splash parks must maintain recommended disinfectant, pH and alkalinity levels to minimise the risk of disease and infection being spread. 

Council’s Role

The NSW Public Health Act 2010 and Public Health Regulation 2022 controls the public health risk associated with public swimming pools, spa pools and splash parks. Council is required to keep a register of these in our area (see clause 20 of the Regulation). 

Our Environmental Health Team inspects 20+ local business premises each year where public swimming pools, spa pools or splash parks are installed. Contact us on 4732 7777 if you have any questions or concerns.

Responsibilities of Business Owners

The occupier of premises at which a public swimming pool, spa pool or splash park is situated must register it with Council, and must notify Council within seven (7) days of any change in the particulars provided (s35(2) of the Public Health Act 2010). 

To register your public pool, spa or splash park in the Penrith local government area, complete the Public Swimming Pool, Spa Pool and Splash Park Registration Form. A fee applies for this registration, but not to any later notification of changes to the details supplied.

More information is available from the NSW Health website and in the NSW Health Public Swimming Pool and Spa Pool Advisory Document. 

Also refer to Schedule 1 - Public Health Regulation 2022 to view the requirements for public swimming pools, spa pools or splash parks.

Legionnaires’ disease is a serious form of pneumonia caused by Legionella Bacteria. Although this bacteria is found naturally in wet environments such as lakes, creeks, rivers and mud, it is the legionella found in the man-made environment that has been linked with causing Legionnaire’s disease. Man-made environments commonly associated with the disease include warm water systems and cooling towers.

Council’s Role

Council is committed to minimising the risks through our Legionella Safety Program. 

Businesses with a regulated system installed on their premises such as a cooling tower or warm water system are regulated under the NSW Public Health Act 2010 and Public Health Regulation 2012.

Council is required under clause 12 of the Regulation to keep a register of premises in our area where a regulated system is installed. Our Environmental Health Team annually inspects over 50 local business premises where regulated systems are installed to protect public health. Contact us on 4732 7777 if you have any questions or concerns.

Responsibilities of Business Owners

To register your premises please complete the Regulated System Premise Registration Form.

The occupier of premises at which a water-cooling system or warm-water system is installed, must give notice to the person prescribed by the regulations in the approved form and in the manner prescribed by the regulations:

(a)  if the system is installed before he or she becomes the occupier, within one month after he or she becomes the occupier, or

(b)  if the system is installed after he or she becomes the occupier, within one month after the system is installed.

There are specific requirements under the Public Health Regulation 2012 for the installation (Clause 6), operation (Clause 7) and maintenance (Clause 8) of regulated systems. 

More information is available from the NSW Health website  and in the NSW Health document Water – Requirements for the Provisions of Cold and Heated Water.

Mosquitoes and the diseases they can carry are a real threat to human health. Prevention is always best.

For more information about diseases spread by mosquitoes, visit the NSW Health website.

Some tips to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes

During the summer months, avoid going outside after dusk when mosquitoes are most active, or if you go outside:

  • wear loose light coloured fitting clothes - long sleeved shirts, trousers, covered shoes and socks are preferable, clothing can be sprayed with mosquito repellent for further protection
  • apply insect repellent to exposed skin areas (for example hands and back of neck)
  • use a repellent that contains DEET (diethyltoluamide), and
  • re-apply repellent regularly, especially if perspiring and if mosquitoes start to bite. The NSW Health Department of Medical Entomology has ongoing research projects on the effectiveness of mosquito repellents. Research currently suggests that repellents containing DEET are still more effective than products containing natural oils derived from Australian native plants.

Inside the home you can:

  • use mosquito bed-nets
  • use mosquito coils and mats
  • cover chimney tops during summer months, and
  • place fly screens on all doors and windows and keep them in good condition.

Some tips to avoid breeding mosquitoes

Mosquito larvae live and breed in small amounts of stagnant water and it only takes two (2) to three (3) weeks for mature mosquitoes to breed and hatch, so:

  • remove mosquito-breeding sites from your backyard and surrounding areas (such as blocked roof gutters, pot plant drip trays, and any containers that may hold water after rain)
  • keep swimming pools full and well maintained at all times
  • keep fishponds stocked with fish to prevent mosquitoes breeding in them
  • place screens on septic tank vents and rainwater tanks
  • flush unused toilets at least once a week
  • clean and refill pet water drinking containers regularly, and
  • maintain gardens by keeping them free of overgrown vegetation.

If you live on a farm:

  • don't over irrigate as this will cause pooling or water
  • keep dams in good condition (eg free of vegetation and leakages) and
  • remove all water holding rubbish (eg old tyres, empty cans and bottles).

The NSW Health Department runs an Arbovirus Surveillance and Mosquito Monitoring Program throughout the state. The NSW Arbovirus Surveillance and Mosquito Monitoring Website contains a wide range of information on mosquitoes and mosquito-borne disease, including statistics.