Workplace Safety, First Aid and Waste Disposal
Workplace safety, first aid and waste disposal: act in the right order
This domain tests hazard control, basic first aid and waste segregation. Questions often ask the first action after a burn, a cut or a chemical splash.
Core rules
- Prevent slips with dry floors and warning signs; keep cords away from walkways; label chemicals; never store chemicals in drinks bottles.
- Burns and scalds: cool with running water for at least 20 minutes, remove jewellery if possible, cover with cling film or a sterile non-fluffy dressing, and seek medical help for blistering or large burns. Do not use ice, butter or toothpaste.
- Cuts: wear gloves, clean the wound, apply pressure, cover with a plaster, and dispose of contaminated items safely.
- Eye splash: rinse with clean water or eyewash for at least 15 minutes, remove contact lenses if easy, and refer.
- Fainting: lie the client down, raise the legs, loosen tight clothing, and monitor breathing.
- Waste segregation: yellow bag for infectious or sanitary waste, red for contaminated recyclable plastic, white translucent for sharps, blue for glass, green for general waste. Never put blades or needles in general waste.
Worked example
Hot wax spills on a client's forearm. Stop the service, wear gloves, cool the area under running water for 20 minutes, remove jewellery, cover with a sterile non-fluffy dressing, and advise medical review if blistering occurs. Record the incident. Reasoning: rapid cooling limits tissue damage; covering protects the area; documentation supports follow-up.
Traps
- Applying ice directly to a burn.
- Popping blisters.
- Throwing a used blade into the general bin.
- Rinsing a chemical eye splash for only a few seconds.
- Moving a fainting client to a chair too quickly.