Infection Control, Sanitation and Safety
Infection Control
The chain of infection
Every rule you will be tested on breaks one link in the chain: infectious agent, reservoir, exit route, transmission, entry, susceptible host. Nail service risk is mostly contact transmission - contaminated implements, files, bowls, brushes, and technician hands. Bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites all matter, but bloodborne pathogens (HBV, HCV, HIV) drive the glove and sharps rules.
Vocabulary questions turn on
Sanitation reduces contaminants to a safe level on surfaces and tools you cannot disinfect. Disinfection destroys most pathogenic organisms on nonporous implements but not bacterial spores. Sterilization destroys all microbial life including spores and is not a routine salon process. Only an EPA-registered hospital-grade disinfectant, mixed at the label dilution and left for the full label contact time, counts as disinfection. Reusable nonporous implements get immersion; large surfaces get spray or wipe.
Standard precautions
Treat every client as potentially infectious. Wash hands before and after each client, wear gloves when blood, body fluids, or broken skin are likely, and never reuse single-use items - paper files, buffers, wooden sticks, foam separators, liners. If a cut occurs: stop, glove, clean the wound, disinfect the station, and dispose of contaminated material in a closed container.
Traps
- "UV cabinets disinfect" - they are storage, not disinfection.
- "Disinfect, then scrub" - organic debris shields microbes; clean and dry first.
- "A quick dip is enough" - contact time is the rule.
- "Disinfectant kills spores" - only sterilization does.
Rule of thumb
Clean → disinfect for the full label contact time → store covered. If you cannot state the contact time for the product on your station, you are not using it correctly.
Sanitation and Safety
Two jobs in one domain
Sanitation questions are about microbes; safety questions are about injury, fire, electricity, and chemicals. Read the stem to see which one is being asked.
Chemical safety
Keep every product in its original labeled container or a properly labeled secondary container. Never transfer product into a beverage bottle or an unlabeled spray bottle. Read the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) before first use for first aid, flammability, and required PPE. Store monomer and other flammables closed, away from heat and ignition, and ventilate the area; keep lids on to limit vapor exposure. No eating, drinking, or smoking in the service area, and never store food beside products.
Electrical and physical safety
Inspect cords, use GFCI protection near water, keep water away from electrical equipment, and unplug before cleaning. Support ergonomics: adjust chair and table height, avoid prolonged wrist flexion and pinch grips, use sharp implements so you push rather than force, and take micro-breaks between clients.
Fire, spills, waste
Know the extinguisher rating for the materials present and know the exit. Clean a spill from the outside in, ventilate, and place waste in a closed container. Sharps go into a rigid sharps container, never the trash.
Traps
"Label the spray bottle later" - that is an exposure and a violation. "A little product in a water bottle is fine" - never. "The SDS is only for the owner" - every worker must be able to access hazard information.
Rule of thumb
If a container has no label, it is either a violation or an exposure - label it or discard it before the next client sits down.