CIC Employee & Occupational Health 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A hospital employee develops varicella (chickenpox). Which colleagues should be prioritized for post-exposure evaluation?
- All staff who shared a break room with the employee
- Susceptible staff who had face-to-face contact within 3 feet for ≥5 minutes (Correct answer)
- Only staff who touched the employee's lesions
- Staff working on the same floor during the infectious period
Correct answer: Susceptible staff who had face-to-face contact within 3 feet for ≥5 minutes
Varicella spreads via airborne and droplet routes, so close contact (≥5 minutes within 3 feet) defines exposed susceptible individuals who need evaluation.
Question 2: Which of the following represents the correct work restriction for a healthcare worker with uncontrolled draining skin lesions caused by Staphylococcus aureus?
- May work with standard precautions only
- Exclude from direct patient care until lesions are healed or controlled (Correct answer)
- May work if lesions are covered with a bandage
- No restriction required unless the patient is immunocompromised
Correct answer: Exclude from direct patient care until lesions are healed or controlled
Healthcare workers with uncontrolled draining staph lesions pose a transmission risk and should be excluded from direct patient care until resolved.
Question 3: The primary goal of an exposure incident reporting system in a healthcare facility is to:
- Document injuries for workers' compensation purposes only
- Enable timely post-exposure management and identify prevention opportunities (Correct answer)
- Fulfill OSHA recordkeeping requirements
- Monitor individual employee safety performance
Correct answer: Enable timely post-exposure management and identify prevention opportunities
Prompt reporting enables timely prophylaxis and counseling while aggregate data identifies hazards for prevention program improvement.
Question 4: A healthcare worker declines influenza vaccination. Per CDC and most accreditation standards, the MOST appropriate policy response is to:
- Terminate employment for non-compliance
- Require declination documentation and consider a mask policy during influenza season (Correct answer)
- Accept the declination with no further action
- Require quarterly influenza testing instead
Correct answer: Require declination documentation and consider a mask policy during influenza season
Facilities typically require a signed declination form and may mandate masking during influenza season to protect patients from unvaccinated workers.
Question 5: Which hepatitis B surface antigen test result pattern indicates an employee has developed vaccine-induced immunity after completing the hepatitis B vaccine series?
- HBsAg positive, anti-HBs negative
- Anti-HBs ≥10 mIU/mL, HBsAg negative (Correct answer)
- HBsAg negative, anti-HBc positive
- Anti-HBs <10 mIU/mL after one vaccine series
Correct answer: Anti-HBs ≥10 mIU/mL, HBsAg negative
Anti-HBs ≥10 mIU/mL is the accepted correlate of vaccine-induced protection, indicating an adequate immune response.
Question 6: A surgical technician has contact dermatitis from latex exposure. The MOST important initial occupational health intervention is:
- Prescribe topical corticosteroids and continue current duties
- Determine whether reaction is irritant, Type IV, or Type I hypersensitivity (Correct answer)
- Remove all latex products from the operating room
- Refer immediately to allergy specialist without further evaluation
Correct answer: Determine whether reaction is irritant, Type IV, or Type I hypersensitivity
Distinguishing the type of reaction is critical because Type I (IgE-mediated) latex allergy carries anaphylaxis risk and requires more aggressive management than irritant or Type IV reactions.
Question 7: When a healthcare worker experiences a blood/body fluid exposure, which element is essential in the written exposure control plan per OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard?
- A list of all employees by name who may have exposures
- Engineering and work practice controls to eliminate or minimize exposure (Correct answer)
- Employee vaccination records stored on-site permanently
- Daily inspection logs for sharps containers
Correct answer: Engineering and work practice controls to eliminate or minimize exposure
OSHA requires the exposure control plan to identify engineering controls, work practice controls, and PPE used to minimize employee exposure risk.
CIC Employee & Occupational Health 3
A hospital employee develops varicella (chickenpox).
Which colleagues should be prioritized for post-exposure evaluation?