EC Reporting Requirements & Standards 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogen Standard, how long must an electrologist retain an employee's exposure incident record?
- 1 year after employment ends
- 3 years from the date of the incident
- Duration of employment plus 30 years (Correct answer)
- 5 years from the incident date
Correct answer: Duration of employment plus 30 years
OSHA requires that employee medical and exposure records be kept for the duration of employment plus 30 years.
Question 2: When an electrologist observes a skin lesion that may be malignant during a client consultation, the proper reporting action is to:
- Treat the area and document the result
- Refer the client to a licensed physician and note the referral in the client record (Correct answer)
- Photograph the lesion and file a report with the state board
- Proceed only if the client signs a waiver
Correct answer: Refer the client to a licensed physician and note the referral in the client record
Electrologists must refer suspicious lesions to a physician and document that referral in the client's record.
Question 3: Which document serves as the primary legal record of an electrologist's informed consent process with a client?
- Treatment log
- Signed intake and consent form (Correct answer)
- Insurance claim form
- MSDS binder
Correct answer: Signed intake and consent form
A signed intake and consent form documents that the client was informed of risks, benefits, and alternatives before treatment.
Question 4: A state health department requires electrologists to report all needle-stick injuries within 24 hours. This regulation is an example of which type of standard?
- Voluntary industry guideline
- Mandatory state occupational health rule (Correct answer)
- CDC advisory
- OSHA performance standard
Correct answer: Mandatory state occupational health rule
A state-mandated 24-hour reporting requirement for needle-stick injuries constitutes a mandatory state occupational health rule.
Question 5: The purpose of the OSHA Exposure Control Plan's annual review and update requirement is to:
- Satisfy insurance underwriters
- Ensure the plan reflects changes in tasks, procedures, or new technology (Correct answer)
- Replace employee training records
- Notify clients of safety protocols
Correct answer: Ensure the plan reflects changes in tasks, procedures, or new technology
Annual review keeps the Exposure Control Plan current with any changes in work tasks, procedures, or available safety controls.
Question 6: An electrologist in a multi-practitioner clinic notices a colleague reusing single-use needle cartridges without logging the deviation. The correct first step is to:
- Ignore it as a personal practice choice
- Document the observation and report it to the clinic supervisor or infection control officer (Correct answer)
- Immediately call OSHA
- Post a warning on the colleague's workstation
Correct answer: Document the observation and report it to the clinic supervisor or infection control officer
Internal reporting to a supervisor or infection control officer is the appropriate first step before escalating to a regulatory agency.
Question 7: Which piece of information is NOT typically required on an electrolysis client treatment record?
- Modality and current intensity used
- Duration of each session
- Client's social security number (Correct answer)
- Area(s) treated
Correct answer: Client's social security number
Treatment records document clinical details; a client's social security number is personal financial data not relevant to electrolysis records.
EC Reporting Requirements & Standards 2
Under OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogen Standard, how long must an electrologist retain an employee's exposure incident record?