Infection Control, Sanitation and Safety Practices
This domain tests the three levels of decontamination, the order of steps, and the products that actually achieve each level. Expect items on disinfectant selection and contact time, single-use versus reusable items, handwashing, blood exposure, and hazardous-materials handling.
The three levels
- Sanitation reduces contaminants on surfaces and linens - soap, water, detergent. It is not enough for implements that touch skin.
- Disinfection destroys most pathogenic organisms on nonporous implements using an EPA-registered, hospital-grade disinfectant with a tuberculocidal claim, used at the label dilution for the full label contact time.
- Sterilization destroys all microbial life, including spores, using an autoclave or approved sterilant; UV cabinets are not sterilizers and are not a substitute for disinfection.
The sequence that earns marks
Wear gloves; scrub visible debris off the implement with soap and water; rinse and dry completely; fully immerse in the disinfectant for the labeled contact time; remove with clean gloves; store in a closed, labeled container.
Single-use items
Cotton, gauze, applicators, wooden spatulas, wax strips, lancets, and anything that cannot be fully immersed are discarded after one client. Double-dipping into a wax pot or product jar is contamination - use a spatula and discard it.
Blood and sharps
Gloves and eye protection; contain the spill; absorb and discard as regulated waste; disinfect the surface with an EPA disinfectant or a freshly prepared 1:10 bleach solution; place lancets and blades in a sharps container; wash hands after glove removal. Keep SDS sheets for every chemical on site.
Traps
Shortening contact time because the room is busy. Topping off a disinfectant jar with fresh solution. Assuming alcohol or a UV box disinfects. And forgetting that a clogged vacuum or an overfilled wax pot is a safety citation, not just a mess.