Listed below are the policies of The Ohio State Cosmetology and Barber Board:

Confidential Personal Information Policy

The following rule is incorporated into this policy: 4713-1-13. This policy applies to all employees, Board members and contractors for the Board. These individuals will collectively be referred to as “Board employees” unless otherwise noted. This policy pertains to all records (paper and electronic) containing confidential personal information (CPI) that the Board collects and possesses in its course of business.

It is the policy of the Board to restrict access to non-public personal information to only those employees who need access to perform a specific, legitimate governmental objective on behalf of the Board. Legitimate governmental objectives of the Board include those functions set forth in Chapters 4713 and Administrative Rules adopted there under, and administrative support functions necessary to further those objectives, including but not limited to: investigation of information related to violations of Chapters 4713 or rules adopted by the Board; adjudication of disciplinary actions; monitoring the compliance of individuals under consent agreement; or processing initial applications for, or renewal of, limited permits/certification/licensure.

1. Employees shall maintain confidentiality regarding non-public personal information acquired while employed by the Board, including but not limited to social security numbers of applicants/limited permit holders/licensee/certificate holders and Board employees, applicant/limited permit/licensee/certificate holder investigative records (including records contained in investigative files). Confidentiality must be maintained both during and after employment with the Board as required by Ohio Ethics Law.
    
2. Access to non-public personal information shall be granted at the lowest level necessary that allows an individual to perform their assigned duties in order to minimize the potential impact to the public. Each job position in the agency shall be evaluated and assigned an access classification based upon the specific and legitimate duties of the position as it relates to the official governmental objectives of the Board.
   
   a. The Executive Director shall serve as the Board’s Data Privacy Point of Contact (DPPOC).
   
   b. The DPPOC shall determine the level of access for each of the Board’s position.
    
3. The Executive Director is the official custodian of the Board’s records and is responsible for the Board’s personal information system and CPI. Due to the performance of cross duties by all Board staff, all staff employees shall have access to all CPI in the Board’s possession, with the exception of CPI contained in employee personnel records, for which only the Executive Director may access.
    
4. All investigative records transmitted to a Board Designate shall have CPI removed.
    
5. Employees shall carefully review all information released when complying with public records requests to ensure that non-public personal information is not included in the response. The DPPOC (Executive Director) will review all public records requests prior to release of information.
    
6. Employees shall handle, store and transmit non-public personal information in a secure method approved by the OSBC.
    
7. Employees shall dispose of non-public personal information in a secure method approved by the OSBC and in compliance with the OSBC’s records retention schedules or the State’s general records retention schedules.
   
   a. Optical Disks (CDs, DVDs), shall be shredded in the office prior to disposal in accordance with policies and procedures established by the Board for those documents.
   
   b. BCI&I documents, database reports and paper material shall be shredded utilizing the secured shredding bins provided.
   
   c. Electronic Storage Media (i.e. tapes, drives, portable storage devices) shall be reformatted using an approved multi-pass over-write process if being reused or destroyed through Tech-Disposal prior to disposal or salvage.
    
8. The Board will comply with any written request from an individual for a list of Non-Public Personal Information that the Board keeps on that individual, unless the Non-Personal Information relates to an investigation about the individual based on specific statutory authority. The Executive Director will review all such requests.
    
9. In the event an employee of the Board improperly accesses an individual’s non-public sensitive information, the OSBC shall inform the individual in writing within 15 days of determination of such access.
    
10. Suspected or observed improper access should be reported to the Executive Director. If an employee suspects or observes inappropriate access by a manager, the employee shall report the access to the Board Chair Person. Employees of the board who inappropriately access sensitive information for impermissible purposes are subject to disciplinary action as set forth in the Board’s policies, including termination and/or legal action.

Customer Service Standards Policy

Pursuant to Section 121.91 of the Ohio Revised Code, the following customer service standards are established by the Ohio State Cosmetology and Barber Board. The Board members and staff are committed to providing clear, concise information to the public in a courteous, friendly and professional manner. To honor these commitments, the Board pledges to maintain the following values and standards in serving it customers.

• Treat customers in a courteous, friendly and professional manner.
• Listen to the needs of the customer and respond with accurate, complete information.
• Promise what we can deliver and deliver in the agreed‐upon time.
• Have a positive attitude.
• Be aware of communication style, body language and tone of voice.
• Respond in a timely, efficient and responsible manner
• Be helpful and find a resolution
• Solicit feedback from customers on improving programs and services.
• Finish all interactions with customer in a professional and courteous manner, even when the customer is not extending the same.
• Apologize for mistakes.
• Say “Thank you” and “Can I help you with anything else” when appropriate.

Telephone Etiquette

• Answer the phone within three rings
• Identify yourself when answering the phone
• Listen to the caller’s request and help to answer questions or resolve issues.
• Offer to take a message if someone is not available to speak to them.
• End the call in a courteous manner.

Voice Mail

• Update voicemail greeting when out of the office, inform callers of anticipated return, and contact person for questions.
• Respond to all voicemail messages by the end of the day.

E‐Mail

• Update your email out‐of‐office notification when out of the office for an extended period of time.
• Respond to emails in a timely manner, preferably the same day.
• Be aware of your writing tone when responding, but be direct with regard to the Board’s policy, procedures, laws and rules.

The Board’s Customer Service Standards extend to internal staff, staff of other agencies, boards and commissions as well as outside guest interactions and communications.

Eyelash Extensions Policy

The following policy statements were adopted by the Ohio State Board of Cosmetology on March 14, 2017:

RE: Eye lash Extension Services

The Ohio State Board of Cosmetology is now tasked with regulating the practice of eye lash extensions, which has been added to the scope of practice of esthetics. Statute now requires individuals providing eye lash extension services to be licensed as estheticians or cosmetologists, and requires that these services only be performed in facilities licensed by the Board. Having now provided persons impacted by these new requirements six months to become educated in the relevant laws and rules and come into compliance, the Board will now focus on the continued education of businesses and individuals engaged in eye lash extension services, and on issuing compliance warnings for first-time violators, and progressive sanctions, as warranted, for repeat violators. 

Duplicate License Policy

The following policy statements were adopted by the Ohio State Board of Cosmetology on September 13, 2016:

RE: Duplicate Licenses

All licensees, boutique registration holders, and permit holders are permitted to obtain one duplicate credential per renewal period, by applying online on the Board website and paying the appropriate fee, if applicable.

License Expiration Policy

The following policy statement was adopted by the Ohio State Board of Cosmetology on October 11, 2016:

RE: Expiration of licenses and Out-of-State applicants holding expired Ohio licenses

Effective February 1, 2017, all individuals who allowed their license(s) to expire, regardless of licensure status in another jurisdiction, shall be have their license status changed to “expired” and be subject to the fees under R.C. 4713.10(A)(11) upon receipt of an application for restoration of the expired license. The Executive Director shall communicate to licensees that no further applications for reciprocity from former licensees shall be accepted after February 1, 2017