Hygiene and Safety
Hygiene questions separate candidates who know the difference between cleaning, disinfection and sterilization from those who use the words interchangeably. Safety covers blood exposure, electrical equipment, chemicals and patch testing.
The three levels
- Sanitization or cleaning: soap or detergent and water remove visible debris and most transient microbes. Always the first step, because disinfectants do not work on dirty tools.
- Disinfection: chemical agents kill most pathogens on inanimate surfaces but not necessarily bacterial spores. Use a hospital-grade, tuberculocidal disinfectant for blood or body-fluid contamination, following the label contact time.
- Sterilization: destroys all microorganisms including spores. Autoclave at 121 °C and 15 psi for 15-20 minutes, or per manufacturer; UV cabinets are storage, not sterilization.
Everyday safety rules
- Single-use items such as files, buffers, wooden spatulas, razor blades and wax strips are discarded after one client.
- Wash hands before and after every client and between glove changes; cover cuts with a waterproof dressing.
- Keep chemicals labelled, closed and away from heat; know where the safety data sheet is kept.
- Patch test colour and chemical services 48 hours before and record the result.
- Electrical equipment must be PAT-tested, kept away from water and used with an RCD.
Worked example
While filing, you nick the client's cuticle and the nipper touches blood. Reasoning: stop, keep gloves on, dispose of contaminated single-use items in a closed bin, clean the nipper with detergent, immerse it in hospital-grade tuberculocidal disinfectant for the labelled time, then autoclave it, and record the incident. A UV cabinet alone would not be adequate.
Traps
Calling a UV cabinet a sterilizer; topping up disinfectant instead of replacing it; wearing the same gloves for two clients; ignoring contact time on the label.