CSC Safety & Infection Control 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard requires employers to offer hepatitis B vaccination to at-risk employees:
- At the employee's own expense
- Within 10 working days of initial assignment to exposure-risk tasks (Correct answer)
- Only after the employee sustains a documented exposure incident
- As an annual booster dose each year
Correct answer: Within 10 working days of initial assignment to exposure-risk tasks
OSHA (29 CFR 1910.1030) requires the HBV vaccine series to be offered at no cost within 10 working days of initial assignment to tasks with occupational exposure.
Question 2: A 'passive' safety-engineered sharp device is one that:
- Requires the user to manually activate the safety feature after use
- Automatically engages the protective mechanism without requiring user action (Correct answer)
- Must be retracted by pressing a release button on the barrel
- Requires a deliberate two-step activation sequence
Correct answer: Automatically engages the protective mechanism without requiring user action
Passive safety devices activate automatically after withdrawal from the patient, reducing reliance on correct user technique for protection.
Question 3: Droplet precautions (rather than airborne precautions) are typically required for patients with:
- Active pulmonary tuberculosis
- Measles (rubeola)
- Seasonal influenza (Correct answer)
- Varicella (chickenpox)
Correct answer: Seasonal influenza
Influenza spreads via large respiratory droplets (>5 µm) that fall within 3–6 feet, whereas TB, measles, and varicella require airborne precautions for smaller particles.
Question 4: A sharps container should be sealed and replaced when it reaches:
- 100% of its labeled capacity
- Three-quarters (¾) full (Correct answer)
- Half (½) of its labeled capacity
- One-quarter (¼) full
Correct answer: Three-quarters (¾) full
Sharps containers should be replaced at ¾ full to prevent overfilling, which increases the risk of needlestick injuries when closing or disposing of the container.
Question 5: Under OSHA, the Bloodborne Pathogens Exposure Control Plan must be reviewed and updated at minimum:
- Every 5 years
- Every 2 years
- Annually (Correct answer)
- Only following a documented exposure incident
Correct answer: Annually
OSHA requires the Exposure Control Plan to be reviewed and updated at least annually and whenever new tasks or procedures change the nature of occupational exposure.
Question 6: When entering a room under airborne precautions, which respiratory protection is required?
- Standard surgical/procedural mask
- Fit-tested N95 or higher filtering facepiece respirator (Correct answer)
- N99 respirator exclusively
- Powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) only
Correct answer: Fit-tested N95 or higher filtering facepiece respirator
Airborne precautions require at minimum a fit-tested N95 respirator capable of filtering ≥95% of airborne particles to protect against pathogens like M. tuberculosis.
Question 7: Which of the following is a work practice control rather than an engineering control for needlestick prevention?
- Self-sheathing needle devices
- Needleless IV connector systems
- Two-handed needle recapping technique (Correct answer)
- Retractable syringe systems
Correct answer: Two-handed needle recapping technique
Two-handed recapping is a (prohibited) work practice; engineering controls are physical design changes to equipment — needleless and retractable systems modify the device itself.
CSC Safety & Infection Control 3
OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard requires employers to offer hepatitis B vaccination to at-risk employees: