Decontamination – Medical Device Reprocessing – 2026 – Study and
Practice Guide
Introduction - ANS✔✔ Hazardous workplaces must have decontamination plans in place as part
of a more comprehensive site health and safety program before actual operations begin.
Decontamination procedures are a component of a site-specific health and safety plan (HASP)
and must be developed and directly communicated to workers. Protective clothing and
equipment must be decontaminated, cleaned, laundered, maintained, and replaced when no
longer useful. Under certain circumstances, decontamination itself can cause concerns, for
instance, with reactive substances, so care must be taken to understand potential dangers and
avoid them altogether.
Decontamination - ANS✔✔ Decontamination, or decon, is the process of removing or
neutralizing contaminants that have accumulated on workers and equipment. It is critical to
worker health and safety at hazardous waste sites. Decontamination protects all site personnel
by reducing the transfer of harmful materials into clean areas and helps to prevent the mixing of
incompatible chemicals. Decontamination also protects the community by preventing
uncontrolled transportation of contaminants from the site
Decontamination Plan - ANS✔✔ A decontamination plan should be developed before any
operations begin with hazardous substances. The Decontamination Plan is part of the site
health and safety program. The decontamination plan should:
Establish methods and procedures
Determine appropriate decon methods
Determine number and layout of decon stations
Establish procedures to prevent contamination of clean areas
Determine decon equipment needed
Establish methods for disposing of clothing and equipment
, Standard Operating Procedures for Decontamination - ANS✔✔ The first step in
decontamination is to establish standard operating procedures (SOPs) that minimize contact
with waste and the potential for contamination. Some examples of SOPs include:
Minimize contact with hazardous substances
Use remote sampling
Protect equipment
Wear disposable outer garments
Use disposable equipment
Check PPE before Use - ANS✔✔ Before each use, the personal protective equipment (PPE)
should be checked to ensure that it contains no cuts or punctures that could expose a worker's
skin to wastes. Skin injuries, such as cuts and scratches, may allow penetration into the body by
chemicals or infectious agents that directly contact the worker's skin. Particular care should be
taken to protect these areas. Workers with large areas of damaged skin should be kept from
working on-site until their skin heals.
Proper Dress-Out Procedures - ANS✔✔ Following proper procedures for dressing prior to
entering the exclusion zone (i.e., restricted zone) reduces the potential for contaminants to
bypass the protective clothing, and escape decontamination. In general, all fasteners should be
used (i.e., zippers fully closed, all buttons closed, all snaps closed). Gloves and boots should be
tucked under the sleeves and legs of outer clothing, and hoods (if not attached) should be worn
outside the collar. Another pair of tough outer gloves is often worn over the sleeves. All
junctures should be taped to prevent contaminants from getting inside the gloves, boots, and
jackets (or suits, if a one-piece construction).
Practice Guide
Introduction - ANS✔✔ Hazardous workplaces must have decontamination plans in place as part
of a more comprehensive site health and safety program before actual operations begin.
Decontamination procedures are a component of a site-specific health and safety plan (HASP)
and must be developed and directly communicated to workers. Protective clothing and
equipment must be decontaminated, cleaned, laundered, maintained, and replaced when no
longer useful. Under certain circumstances, decontamination itself can cause concerns, for
instance, with reactive substances, so care must be taken to understand potential dangers and
avoid them altogether.
Decontamination - ANS✔✔ Decontamination, or decon, is the process of removing or
neutralizing contaminants that have accumulated on workers and equipment. It is critical to
worker health and safety at hazardous waste sites. Decontamination protects all site personnel
by reducing the transfer of harmful materials into clean areas and helps to prevent the mixing of
incompatible chemicals. Decontamination also protects the community by preventing
uncontrolled transportation of contaminants from the site
Decontamination Plan - ANS✔✔ A decontamination plan should be developed before any
operations begin with hazardous substances. The Decontamination Plan is part of the site
health and safety program. The decontamination plan should:
Establish methods and procedures
Determine appropriate decon methods
Determine number and layout of decon stations
Establish procedures to prevent contamination of clean areas
Determine decon equipment needed
Establish methods for disposing of clothing and equipment
, Standard Operating Procedures for Decontamination - ANS✔✔ The first step in
decontamination is to establish standard operating procedures (SOPs) that minimize contact
with waste and the potential for contamination. Some examples of SOPs include:
Minimize contact with hazardous substances
Use remote sampling
Protect equipment
Wear disposable outer garments
Use disposable equipment
Check PPE before Use - ANS✔✔ Before each use, the personal protective equipment (PPE)
should be checked to ensure that it contains no cuts or punctures that could expose a worker's
skin to wastes. Skin injuries, such as cuts and scratches, may allow penetration into the body by
chemicals or infectious agents that directly contact the worker's skin. Particular care should be
taken to protect these areas. Workers with large areas of damaged skin should be kept from
working on-site until their skin heals.
Proper Dress-Out Procedures - ANS✔✔ Following proper procedures for dressing prior to
entering the exclusion zone (i.e., restricted zone) reduces the potential for contaminants to
bypass the protective clothing, and escape decontamination. In general, all fasteners should be
used (i.e., zippers fully closed, all buttons closed, all snaps closed). Gloves and boots should be
tucked under the sleeves and legs of outer clothing, and hoods (if not attached) should be worn
outside the collar. Another pair of tough outer gloves is often worn over the sleeves. All
junctures should be taped to prevent contaminants from getting inside the gloves, boots, and
jackets (or suits, if a one-piece construction).
