Infection Control, Sanitation, and Safety Practices
Infection control questions test the chain of infection, the difference between cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization, and Idaho's salon sanitation rules. The exam favors practical scenarios: what to do with an implement after it contacts a pustule, blood, or intact skin.
Core concepts
- Cleaning removes visible debris; disinfection kills most pathogenic microorganisms on nonporous surfaces; sterilization destroys all microorganisms, including spores.
- Use an EPA-registered hospital disinfectant and follow the label contact time, often 10 minutes. For blood or body fluids, use a tuberculocidal disinfectant or freshly mixed bleach solution.
- Single-use items such as cotton, spatulas, gloves, and lancets are discarded. Porous items such as files, buffers, and sponges cannot be reliably disinfected and must not be reused.
- Wash hands before and after each client; wear gloves for blood, lesions, or broken skin. Keep clean and dirty implements separate; label secondary containers.
Worked example
A metal extractor is dropped, used on a pustule, then wiped with 70% alcohol. That is inadequate. It must be cleaned of debris, then completely immersed in an EPA-registered hospital disinfectant for the labeled contact time; if blood is present, use a tuberculocidal product. Alcohol wipes are not a substitute for immersion disinfection. Reasoning: visible debris blocks disinfectant, and contact time is required.
Traps that cost marks
- Confusing sanitizing with disinfecting.
- Topping off disinfectant instead of changing it.
- Relying on a UV cabinet as the only disinfection step.
- Storing clean and dirty tools together.