Infection Control, Sanitation, and Safety Practices
Breaking the chain of infection
Every question in this domain reduces to one idea: pathogens need a route to a new host, and the nail professional's job is to close that route. Learn the vocabulary precisely. Bacteria come in three shapes - cocci (round), bacilli (rod), spirilla (spiral) - and most are harmless; only pathogens cause disease. Viruses are far smaller and need a living host cell (hepatitis B, HIV, herpes). Fungi cause tinea pedis and onychomycosis; parasites cause pediculosis. Standard Precautions means every client's blood and body fluids are treated as infectious, whether or not the client looks ill.
Distinguish the three levels of decontamination. Cleaning removes visible debris with soap and water. Disinfection destroys most microorganisms on nonporous surfaces and comes in two strengths: hospital disinfectant, and hospital disinfectant with a tuberculocidal claim for items that contacted blood or an open sore. Sterilization destroys all microorganisms including spores, and only an autoclave or comparable device does it.
Traps appear in nearly every set of questions. Hospital disinfectant does not sterilize. Porous items - files, buffers, wooden sticks, cotton, sponges, chamois - cannot be disinfected, so they are used once and discarded or given to the client. Electrical equipment is wiped with disinfectant, never immersed. Disinfectant must be mixed at label strength, changed on schedule, and stored covered.
Rule of thumb: ask two questions - did it touch skin or blood, and can it be disinfected? Nonporous and clean means hospital disinfectant; blood or broken skin means tuberculocidal; porous means discard.