5. Disposing of PPE

PPE such as gloves, aprons and masks are single use items and should be disposed of after each procedure or activity to prevent cross-transmission of micro-organisms. When these items are worn primarily to protect the wearer, the importance of their prompt removal between tasks on the same patient/client or between patients can easily be overlooked and give rise to the possibility of contamination.

All PPE must be removed before leaving the area and disposed of correctly, and any body fluids that have inadvertently contaminated the skin washed off immediately. PPE should not replace other infection prevention and control practices such as hand hygiene.