Safety Standards Flashcards
7 cards from real CRCST practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Safety Standards flashcards as text
Which regulatory body requires that all new CS employees receive bloodborne pathogen training within how many days of hire?
Answer: Before initial assignment
OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard requires employers to provide training before an employee's initial assignment to tasks where exposure may occur.
Eye wash stations in the CS department must be accessible within how many seconds of a chemical exposure?
Answer: 10 seconds
ANSI Z358.1 requires emergency eyewash stations to be reachable within 10 seconds (approximately 55 feet) from the hazard location.
What is the purpose of a biological indicator (BI) in sterilization safety monitoring?
Answer: To verify that the sterilization process is capable of killing the most resistant microorganisms
Biological indicators contain highly resistant spores (e.g., Geobacillus stearothermophilus) and directly verify that sterilization conditions were sufficient to destroy them.
Which action is required when ethylene oxide (EO) gas sterilization is used in the CS department regarding worker exposure?
Answer: Personal air monitoring must be performed and exposure records kept
OSHA's EO standard (29 CFR 1910.1047) requires personal air monitoring, medical surveillance, and maintenance of exposure records for workers in EO areas.
A wet pack is discovered after steam sterilization. What is the appropriate response?
Answer: Consider the pack non-sterile and reprocess it
Wet packs are considered non-sterile because moisture creates a pathway for microbial contamination through packaging; the load must be reprocessed.
Which type of radiation hazard must CS technicians be aware of when working near certain diagnostic imaging equipment?
Answer: Ionizing radiation from C-arm fluoroscopy in the OR
CS technicians processing instruments near or in the OR may encounter ionizing radiation from fluoroscopy equipment, requiring awareness of shielding and exposure limits.
What does 'universal precautions' assume about all patients' blood and body fluids?
Answer: They are potentially infectious and must be treated as such
Universal precautions treat all human blood and certain body fluids as if they are known to be infectious, regardless of a patient's diagnosis.