PPE, Sharps and Area Hazards

Personal Protective Equipment Selection and Inspection

Sterile processing technicians play an essential role in healthcare safety through the cleaning, decontamination, inspection, assembly, packaging, sterilization, and storage of medical instruments. Throughout these critical stages, technicians must consistently follow each device manufacturer's instructions for use and adhere strictly to facility policy. When working in the decontamination area, technicians face routine contact with bloodborne pathogens and infectious microorganisms. Under Standard Precautions, personnel must treat all blood, body fluids, secretions, and excretions other than sweat, as well as nonintact skin and mucous membranes, as potentially infectious. To safeguard workers against these biohazards, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires employers to provide appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) at no cost to employees.

Before entering the decontamination environment or beginning manual cleaning, technicians must carefully inspect all personal protective equipment to verify that every item is completely intact and undamaged. Torn or defective PPE offers compromised protection and must be removed and replaced immediately. Technicians must wear task-appropriate PPE required by facility policy. A typical protective ensemble for manual cleaning includes a fluid-resistant gown featuring long sleeves and snug cuffs, which actively reduces the chance of fluid entering under the sleeves during vigorous washing. In addition, hair must be contained in the decontamination area, and technicians must wear a head covering when required by facility policy.

Hand and footwear protection requires careful equipment selection based on specific departmental hazards. General medical exam gloves do not provide adequate puncture and chemical resistance for manual decontamination tasks. Instead, technicians must wear heavy-duty decontamination utility gloves that feature extended cuffs and provide fluid, chemical, and sharps protection appropriate to the task, used in accordance with their manufacturer's instructions and facility policy. Fluid-resistant shoe covers must be worn when indicated by the task or facility policy to protect personal footwear from chemical solutions and biohazardous liquid contamination.

Facial protection is vital because cleaning solutions and biological soils can easily aerosolize or splash. Under OSHA standards, standard prescription eyeglasses are not considered adequate eye protection. Technicians must wear task-appropriate splash eye protection, such as splash-protective goggles or an appropriately designed face shield, according to facility policy. Use splash-protective goggles or an appropriately designed face shield for eye protection, as required by the task and facility policy; a face shield does not replace a mask when nose and mouth protection is needed.