Qualifi Level 5 Unit CO502 Needlestick Injury, Infection Prevention and Control (K/651/7085) Assessment Example 2026

Qualifi Level 5 Unit CO502 Assessment Example 2026

Unit Aims

• Aesthetic practitioners will understand how to manage the risks associated with needlestick and sharps injuries and maintain infection prevention and control.
• This unit is based on the NHS England Guidelines and the Royal College of Nursing Sharps Safety Document
• Aesthetic Practitioners will maintain current and valid First Aid at Work qualification or equivalent and be able to carry out the functions of Basic Life Support (BLS), infection control, and complication management.

Learning Outcomes, and Assessment Criteria

Indicative content

Clinical Waste Disposal

• yellow bags – clinical highly infectious
• yellow and black bags (tiger bag)- offensive
• orange bags – clinical infectious
• yellow and purple stripe bags – cytotoxic/cytostatic
• yellow lid sharps container – non-hazardous medicine sharps
• purple lid sharps container – cytotoxic and cytostatic sharps
• orange lid sharps container – blood sharps only
• blue lid container – pharmaceutical waste (vials, blister packs, ampoules)

Legislation and guidance

• Public Health England, Health and Safety Executive (HSE), and local authority standards
• Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013 and the Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2013.
• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
• Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulation 12)
• National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness 2021
• Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013
• Control of Substance Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations and Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (Northern Ireland) 2003.
• The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment (Northern Ireland)
• Reporting of Diseases Injuries and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR)/The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997.
• The Personal Protective Equipment at Work (Amendment) Regulations 2022 and the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1993.
• Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 and The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1982.
• Safety Representatives and Safety Committee Regulations. 1977 and the Safety Representatives and Safety Committee (Northern Ireland Regulations 1979.
• BS EN ISO 23907:2 – 2019 – Reusable Sharps Containers
• BS EN ISO 23907:1 – 2019 – Single Use Sharps Containers
• National standards of healthcare cleanliness 2025

Elements of SICPs

• patient placement/assessment of infection risk
• hand hygiene
• respiratory and cough hygiene
• personal protective equipment
• safe management of the care environment
• safe management of care equipment
• safe management of healthcare linen
• safe management of blood and body fluids
• safe disposal of waste (including sharps)
• occupational safety/managing prevention of exposure (including sharps)

Maintenance of a Sterile Environment

• explain the pre-procedural hygiene requirements to a client
• cleaning and disinfecting surfaces with approved medical-grade disinfectants
• always working from clean to dirty areas
• proper sequencing of tasks to reduce risk of contamination
• avoidance of touching non-sterile items during a procedure
• selection and use of correct PPE, sterile gloves, masks/face shields/disposable aprons, hair coverings etc.
• use of single-use coverings on trolleys, equipment, cameras/phones etc.
• use of sterile drapes where required
• environmental controls: temperature, humidity, airflow
• minimising movement and talking within the sterile field
• isolation of contaminated tools, equipment etc immediately
• daily, pre- and post-treatment cleaning protocols
• safe removal and correct disposal of PPE used and contaminated waste

Glossary

(From NHS England)

• Alcohol based hand rub (ABHR) – A gel, foam or liquid containing one or more types of alcohol that is rubbed into the hands to inactivate microorganisms and/or temporarily suppress their growth.
• Antimicrobial – An agent that kills microorganisms or prevents their growth. Antibiotics and disinfectants are antimicrobial agents.
• Antimicrobial resistance – The ability of a microorganism to resist the action of an antimicrobial drug/agent which was previously effective in treating the infection caused by that microorganism.
• Antisepsis– The process of preventing infection by inhibiting the growth and multiplication of infectious agents. This is usually achieved by application of a germicidal preparation known as an antiseptic.
• Aseptic technique – Refers to a practice/procedure designed to minimise the risk of contamination from microorganisms into a wound, on insertion or ongoing care of a medical device such as a vascular access device during aesthetic procedures.
• Aseptic Non-touch Technique (ANTT) – a procedure developed to reduce the risk of introduction of bacteria to a client/patient during any invasive procedure.
• Bloodborne viruses (BBV) – Viruses carried or transmitted by blood, for example Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV.
• Body Fluids – Fluid produced by the body such as urine, faeces, vomit or diarrhoea.
• BS/EN standards – Mandatory technical specifications created by either the British Standards Institute (BS) or European Standardisation Organisations (EN) in collaboration with government bodies, industry experts and trade associations. They aim to ensure the quality and safety of products, services, and systems.
• Cleaning – A process that physically removes contamination such as dirt, body fluids (blood, vomit), etc by use of an appropriate cleaning agent such as detergent. Cleaning also removes some microorganisms and, if soiling is present, is an essential step before effective disinfection or sterilisation can be performed.
• Clinical hand-wash basin – A sink designated exclusively for hand washing in clinical areas by staff.
• Contact precautions – Measures used to prevent and control infections that spread via direct contact with the patient or indirectly from the patient’s immediate clinical environment.
• Contact transmission– The spread of infectious agents from one person to another by contact. When spread occurs through skin-to-skin contact, this is called direct contact transmission. When spread occurs via a contaminated object, this is called indirect contact transmission.
• Contaminated – The presence of an infectious agent on a body surface; also, on or in clothes, bedding, surgical instruments or dressings, or other inanimate articles or substances including water and food.
• Cross-infection/Cross-transmission – Spread of infection from one individual, object or place to another.
• Detergent – A chemical cleansing agent that can dissolve oils and remove dirt.
• Direct contact transmission – Spread of infectious agents from one individual to another by direct skin-to-skin contact.
• Disinfectant – A chemical used to reduce the number of infectious agents from an object or surface to a level that means they are not harmful to health.
• Disinfection – The treatment of surfaces/equipment using physical or chemical means, for example, using a chemical disinfectant, to reduce the number of microorganisms present on an object or surface to a level that is unlikely to cause infection. Successful disinfection is dependent on the number of microorganisms initially present. Therefore, physical cleaning is a prerequisite to effective disinfection.
• Domestic waste – Waste produced in the care setting that is similar to waste produced in the home.
• Exposure – The condition of being exposed to something that may have a harmful effect such as an infectious agent.
• Frequently touched surfaces – Surfaces of the environment which are commonly touched or come into contact with human hands. These are surfaces that are frequently more likely to be contaminated with bacteria or viruses, for example, doorknobs, tables, phones etc. which can then easily transfer to the user.
• Hand hygiene – The process of decontaminating your hands using either alcohol based hand rub or liquid soap and water.
• Healthcare or clinical waste – Waste produced as a result of healthcare activities, for example, soiled dressings or sharps.
• Immunisation – To provide immunity to a disease by giving a vaccination.
• Indirect contact transmission – The spread of infectious agents from one person to another via a contaminated object.
• Infection – Invasion of the body by a harmful organism or infectious agent such as a virus, parasite, bacterium or fungus.
• Invasive procedure – A medical/healthcare procedure that penetrates or breaks the skin or enters a body cavity.
• Micro-organism (microbe) – Any living thing (organism) that is too small to be seen by the naked eye. Bacteria, viruses and some parasites are microorganisms.
• Mode of transmission – The way that microorganisms spread from one person to another. The main modes or routes of transmission are airborne (aerosol) transmission, droplet transmission and contact transmission.
• Occupational exposure – Exposure of practitioners to blood or body fluids in the course of their work.
• Personal protective equipment (PPE) – Equipment an individual wears to protect themselves from risks to their health or safety, including exposure to infection agents.
• Pathogen – Any disease-producing infectious agent.
• Recapping/re-sheathing – To put a needle or other sharp object back into its plastic sheath or cap.
• Safer sharp/safety device – A medical sharps device which has been designed to incorporate a feature or mechanism that minimises and/or prevents the risk of accidental injury. This includes needle-free devices or mechanisms on a needle, such as an automated re-sheathing device, which cover the needle immediately after use. Other terms include (but are not limited to) safety devices, safety-engineered devices and safer needle devices.
• Sharp – A ‘sharp’ is a device or instrument used in healthcare settings with sharp points or edges, such as needles, lancets and scalpels which have the potential to cause injury through cutting or puncturing the skin.
• Sharps injury – An injury caused by a sharp instrument or object such as a needle or scalpel, cutting or puncturing the skin.
• Standard infection control precautions (SICPs) – SICPs are the basic IPC measures necessary to reduce the risk of transmitting infectious agents from both recognised and unrecognised sources of infection. Sources of (potential) infection include blood and other body fluids secretions or excretions (excluding sweat), non-intact skin or mucous membranes and any equipment or items in the care environment that could have become contaminated.
• Swan-neck – Way of closing bag by twisting the top of the bag (must not be more than two-thirds full), looping the neck back on itself, holding the twist firmly, and placing a seal over the neck of the bag (such as with a tag).
• Vaccine – A preparation of immunogenic material that is administered to stimulate the immune response of the body against an infectious agent.

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