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YELLOW SHEET Office of the State Auditor of Missouri |
Report No. 2006-07
February 2006
The following findings were included in our audit report on the Department of Economic Development, Division of Professional Registration, State Board of Cosmetology.
The State Board of Cosmetology did not ensure cosmetology salons were inspected annually as required by board policy. The Central Investigative Unit (CIU) of the Division of Professional Registration (DPR) performs inspections and investigations of salons, and also performs services for other boards and commissions within the division. The DPR and the board use a licensure and inspection tracking management system to record and monitor license and inspection activity. Each salon cited for unlicensed activity or serious or repeat sanitation violations during an inspection is to be subjected to a follow-up inspection to determine if corrective action has been taken. The board estimates 12,455 inspections were performed and/or attempted for the year ended June 30, 2005.
The board annually identifies salons that did not have the required annual inspection, referred to as overdue inspections. The DPR reported the number of overdue inspections as of June 30, 2005, was 2,896 of the licensed salons. In addition, of those 2,896 overdue inspections, at least 214 salons also had not received an inspection in 2004. A similar condition was noted in our prior report.
The board reported that 1,611 of the 12,455 inspections performed in fiscal year 2005 resulted in a violation, with 194 of the inspections identifying unlicensed activity or a serious licensure or sanitation violation. The board indicated that only 4 licenses were revoked and 23 licenses were suspended as a result of violations. The audit suggested the board consider using their limited inspection resources to concentrate on salons with recent violations or a history of violations.
All licenses issued by the board must be renewed biennially by September 30 of every odd numbered year. As of September 30, 2003, 18.3 percent of individuals failed to renew their licenses. Except during salon and school inspections, the board does not perform any follow-up action to determine if the individuals who did not renew are practicing without a license. Without follow-up actions regarding non-renewed individual licenses, the board cannot ensure all individuals are practicing with a license as required by law. A similar condition was also noted in our prior report.
