Infection Control, Sanitation, and Safety
Microbes and precautions
Bacteria are cocci (round), bacilli (rod), and spirilla (spiral); most are nonpathogenic, but pathogens cause disease. Also know viruses (hepatitis B, HIV), fungi (tinea), and parasites (lice). Standard precautions mean treating all blood and body fluids as infectious, with hand washing before and after every service.
Three levels of control
Sanitation reduces microbes on surfaces. Disinfection kills most microorganisms, though not spores, on nonporous implements. Sterilization, usually by autoclave, destroys all microbial life. Use an EPA-registered, hospital-grade disinfectant and follow the label's contact time - commonly 10 minutes. Porous items cannot be adequately disinfected and must be discarded. Keep clean and soiled items separate, and never double-dip.
Regulations
OSHA enforces workplace safety and the Hazard Communication Standard, which requires SDS access; the EPA registers disinfectants; the FDA regulates cosmetics and devices. For a blood spill: gloves on, absorb and clean, then disinfect with an approved product or a 1:10 bleach dilution, allowing full contact time.
Safety
Keep cords away from water and unplug by the plug, not the cord. Know extinguisher classes and evacuation routes; adjust chair and station height for ergonomics.
Traps
The most common errors: treating sanitizing as equal to disinfecting, toweling implements dry after disinfection (recontamination), mixing bleach stronger than the label, and ignoring contact time entirely.
Worked example
A razor nicks a client. Put on gloves, stop the service, clean the area with an EPA-registered disinfectant at label dilution, allow the full contact time, discard contaminated porous items, and disinfect nonporous tools. Rule of thumb: read the label and time it - disinfection fails without contact time.