Certified Phlebotomy Technician Exam Safety and Compliance 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When disposing of a used lancet, which container should be used?
- Red biohazard bag
- Puncture-resistant sharps container (Correct answer)
- Regular trash bin
- Yellow chemotherapy waste container
Correct answer: Puncture-resistant sharps container
Used lancets are sharps and must be disposed of in a puncture-resistant, labeled sharps container to prevent injury.
Question 2: A phlebotomist notices a sharps container is three-quarters full. What should be done?
- Push the contents down to make more room
- Replace the container with a new one immediately (Correct answer)
- Continue using it until completely full
- Transfer some sharps to a biohazard bag
Correct answer: Replace the container with a new one immediately
Sharps containers should be replaced when they are three-quarters (75%) full to prevent overfilling and injury risk.
Question 3: Which Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is REQUIRED when performing a routine venipuncture on a standard patient?
- Gloves, gown, and face shield
- Gloves only (Correct answer)
- Gloves and surgical mask
- Gloves and eye protection
Correct answer: Gloves only
Standard precautions require gloves for all venipunctures; additional PPE is added based on anticipated splash risk.
Question 4: What does SDS stand for in laboratory safety?
- Standard Disposal System
- Safety Data Sheet (Correct answer)
- Specimen Decontamination Schedule
- Sharps Disposal Standard
Correct answer: Safety Data Sheet
SDS stands for Safety Data Sheet, which provides information on hazardous chemicals including handling, storage, and emergency measures.
Question 5: An irate patient grabs a phlebotomist's arm during a blood draw. This is an example of which type of workplace hazard?
- Chemical hazard
- Biological hazard
- Physical hazard
- Psychosocial/workplace violence hazard (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Psychosocial/workplace violence hazard
Physical assault or threatening behavior from patients falls under workplace violence, classified as a psychosocial hazard.
Question 6: What is the correct order for donning (putting on) PPE?
- Gloves, gown, mask, eye protection
- Gown, mask, eye protection, gloves (Correct answer)
- Mask, gown, eye protection, gloves
- Eye protection, gown, mask, gloves
Correct answer: Gown, mask, eye protection, gloves
The CDC-recommended donning order is gown first, then mask, then eye protection, and finally gloves.
Question 7: Which label color indicates a biohazardous specimen bag?
- Red with black text
- Orange with black biohazard symbol (Correct answer)
- Yellow with black text
- Green with white text
Correct answer: Orange with black biohazard symbol
Biohazard bags are orange or orange-red and must display the universal biohazard symbol in black.
Certified Phlebotomy Technician Exam Safety and Compliance 3
When disposing of a used lancet, which container should be used?