Nevada Cosmetology License Exam — All Questions

In a salon, which level of decontamination is required for multi-use (reusable) implements such as metal shears and combs that have not touched blood or body fluids?

• a.Cleaning with soap and water only, then air drying
• b.Cleaning to remove debris, followed by complete immersion in an EPA-registered disinfectant✓
• c.Sterilization in an autoclave before every client
• d.Wiping with a plain damp towel between clients

There are three levels of decontamination: sanitation (lowest, reduces germs), disinfection (kills most pathogens on hard nonporous surfaces), and sterilization (highest, destroys all microbial life). Multi-use implements must first be cleaned to remove visible debris and then fully immersed in an EPA-registered disinfectant for the manufacturer's stated contact time. Cleaning alone does not kill pathogens, and salons generally are not required to autoclave/sterilize implements that have not contacted blood.

What does an EPA registration on a salon disinfectant label indicate?

• a.The product has been approved by the FDA for use on human skin
• b.The product is a natural, chemical-free cleaner
• c.The product's manufacturer has demonstrated its effectiveness against specific pathogens to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency✓
• d.The product only needs to touch the surface briefly to work

Disinfectants used on hard, nonporous salon surfaces and implements must be EPA-registered. EPA registration means the manufacturer submitted efficacy data proving the product kills the pathogens named on the label (for example, bactericidal, virucidal, and fungicidal claims). The label also states the required contact (dwell) time, which must be followed for the product to work. The EPA regulates surface disinfectants; the FDA regulates products applied to the body.

MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is of particular concern in salons primarily because it is a bacterium that:

• a.Is resistant to many common antibiotics and can spread through skin contact or shared implements✓
• b.Can only be transmitted through contaminated food
• c.Is a fungus that affects only the nails
• d.Is completely harmless to healthy adults

MRSA is a strain of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria that has become resistant to many antibiotics that once treated it, making infections harder to cure. It can spread through direct skin contact or by sharing contaminated implements and towels. This is exactly why strict cleaning and disinfection of implements between every client is essential in the salon.

If a client is accidentally cut and blood appears during a service, the correct procedure is to:

• a.Continue the service and clean up afterward
• b.Reuse the implement after wiping it on a towel
• c.Blow on the wound to stop the bleeding
• d.Stop the service, put on gloves, clean and bandage the injury, and clean and disinfect any contaminated implements and surfaces (double-bagging contaminated waste)✓

A blood spill requires following Universal (Standard) Precautions, which treat all blood and body fluids as potentially infectious. Stop the service, put on gloves, stop the bleeding and cover the wound, then clean and disinfect any implements or surfaces that contacted blood, and dispose of contaminated single-use materials in a properly sealed (often double-bagged) container. Implements exposed to blood should be disinfected with a product effective against bloodborne pathogens (HIV and hepatitis B/C).