Infection Control, Sanitation, and Safety Practices
Classify, then choose the weakest correct process
Infection control questions almost always ask you to identify a contaminant and then pick the process that matches it. Learn the ladder: cleaning (soap and water, removes visible debris), sanitizing (reduces bacteria to a safe level), disinfecting (kills most bacteria, fungi and viruses on hard, nonporous surfaces), sterilizing (destroys all microbial life including spores; autoclave only). Nothing short of an autoclave sterilizes.
Know the organism families: cocci (round), bacilli (rod), spirilla (spiral); pathogenic versus nonpathogenic; spores; viruses such as hepatitis B and HIV; fungi such as tinea; parasites such as pediculosis. Standard precautions mean treating every client's blood and body fluids as infectious, wearing gloves, and washing hands before and after every service.
Traps
- A UV cabinet is a storage unit, not a disinfectant.
- The disinfectant must be EPA-registered with a tuberculocidal claim (hospital grade) when blood or body fluids are involved, and tools must be cleaned before immersion.
- Porous items (files, cotton, wooden sticks) cannot be disinfected; discard them.
- Follow the label's immersion time; do not guess.
Rule of thumb
One client, one implement: if it is porous, throw it out; if it is not, clean it, immerse it fully in EPA-registered hospital disinfectant for the full label time, and store it covered.
Chemical and electrical safety round out the domain: read the SDS, keep products labeled and ventilated, never mix chemicals, and keep cords away from water.