More than a decade ago, Los Angeles County adopted a rating system for restaurants in which health inspectors, after finishing their inspection, made their important decision as to what letter to hand out. The letters A, B and C quickly became the norm, with A being the best and C being the worst. Whatever letter the inspected restaurant was given was determined by calculating the manner in which the restaurant lived up to health and sanitation regulations in their kitchens. Naturally there are standards – that is, any restaurant that fails its health inspection isn’t simply given a C and told to shape up. C is the bottom of the barrel in terms of health department score, but it’s still passable in terms of staying in business. Regardless, if you had the choice to eat your next meal at one of three restaurants, one with an A displayed in their front window, one with a B and one with a C, which one would you choose? I sure as hell know which one I would choose.
Though this system might seem overly strict to some, the vast majority of LA County residents like it a lot. It’s also gained in popularity over on the east coast, where New York City restaurants began adopting it this past July.
Now then, tattoos may seem to be on a completely different level than food and restaurants, but when you really think about it, they aren’t so different at all. No matter which way you slice it, at the heart of either issue the most important thing is a sanitary environment in which clean preparation and execution are performed. Health, safety and quality are at the forefront of what matters to a costumer as well as what should definitely matter to an artist. This being the case, the state of Georgia’s Columbia County is currently considering a policy in which a grading system that is more or less based on the LA County and NYC restaurant models is used.
The idea is causing a great deal of debate amongst health officials and tattoo artists alike. Some tattoo artists embrace it wholeheartedly, while others complain that it will simply create more paperwork. If you ask me – and no one did, but when has that ever stopped me? – this is an excellent idea. Like it or not, the tattoo industry, just like any other industry, is about keeping up. If a tattoo studio or an artist can’t put forth the effort and prove the quality of their establishment when it counts, then I don’t feel sorry for them. A rating system is something that should be implemented everywhere for all tattoo studios. I mean, think about how much easier it makes it for first time tattoo costumers, who may not know much about tattoos but want to go somewhere that offers quality work and professional care. It’s a great concept and one that I really hope to see a lot of in the future.