CIC Safety 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A healthcare worker is exposed to a large splash of blood to the eyes. After flushing the eyes, what is the next appropriate step?
- Return to work if no symptoms develop
- Report to employee health or the emergency department (Correct answer)
- Self-monitor for 6 weeks before seeking evaluation
- Only seek care if the source patient is HIV-positive
Correct answer: Report to employee health or the emergency department
After an eye splash, the worker should immediately report to employee health or the ED for exposure assessment and consideration of post-exposure prophylaxis.
Question 2: Which element of the hierarchy of controls is considered MOST effective for eliminating workplace hazards in infection prevention?
- Personal protective equipment
- Administrative controls
- Engineering controls
- Elimination (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Elimination
Elimination—physically removing the hazard—is the most effective level of the hierarchy of controls because it removes risk entirely.
Question 3: What is the primary purpose of a safety data sheet (SDS) in healthcare facilities?
- Document employee injuries from chemical exposure
- Provide information on chemical hazards, handling, and emergency response (Correct answer)
- Serve as a purchasing guide for safer chemical alternatives
- Track OSHA compliance violations
Correct answer: Provide information on chemical hazards, handling, and emergency response
An SDS provides comprehensive information about chemical hazards, safe handling, storage, and emergency response procedures.
Question 4: A spill of a cytotoxic chemotherapy agent occurs in a patient care area. Who should respond to the cleanup?
- Any available housekeeper with standard cleaning supplies
- Trained personnel using a chemotherapy spill kit and appropriate PPE (Correct answer)
- Environmental services staff in standard PPE
- The nurse who administered the drug using absorbent towels
Correct answer: Trained personnel using a chemotherapy spill kit and appropriate PPE
Cytotoxic spills must be cleaned up by trained personnel using a designated chemotherapy spill kit with appropriate PPE including gloves, gown, mask, and eye protection.
Question 5: Under the RACE acronym used in fire safety, what does the letter 'C' stand for?
- Call the fire department
- Contain the fire by closing doors (Correct answer)
- Check for victims
- Clear the area of combustibles
Correct answer: Contain the fire by closing doors
In the RACE acronym (Rescue, Alarm, Contain, Extinguish/Evacuate), 'C' stands for Contain, which means closing doors and windows to slow the spread of fire.
Question 6: Which type of isolation precaution requires the use of a negative pressure room?
- Contact precautions
- Droplet precautions
- Airborne infection isolation precautions (Correct answer)
- Protective environment precautions
Correct answer: Airborne infection isolation precautions
Airborne infection isolation precautions require a negative pressure room to prevent airborne pathogens from escaping into surrounding areas.
Question 7: A healthcare worker accidentally ingests a small amount of a chemical cleaning agent. After calling Poison Control, what information is MOST important to have immediately available?
- The worker's employment history
- The SDS for the chemical ingested (Correct answer)
- The facility's liability insurance information
- The worker's last annual physical results
Correct answer: The SDS for the chemical ingested
The SDS contains critical information about toxicity, first aid measures, and ingredients needed by Poison Control to advise on treatment.
CIC Safety 3
A healthcare worker is exposed to a large splash of blood to the eyes.
After flushing the eyes, what is the next appropriate step?