CRCST Exam PrepQuick answer: In decontamination, wear heavy-duty utility gloves (not thin exam gloves), a fluid-resistant gown, face protection (face shield or goggles plus mask), hair covering, and shoe covers. OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard requires PPE whenever contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials is reasonably anticipated, and decontamination is exactly that situation.
1The full decon PPE set, piece by piece
Gloves: heavy-duty utility gloves
Decontamination calls for thick, reusable utility gloves, often called general-purpose or decontam gloves, not the thin examination gloves used for patient care. You are handling sharp instruments (scalpels, needles, towel clips) under running water with slippery detergent, so the gloves must resist punctures and tears while giving enough grip to work safely. Inspect them before each use: cracks, thinning, or holes mean they go in the trash. Change them if they become damaged mid-task, and wash your hands after removing them.
Gown: fluid-resistant, full coverage
A fluid-resistant gown or apron protects your scrubs and skin from splashes of contaminated water and cleaning chemicals. It should cover you from neck to knees with full sleeve coverage, because manual cleaning at a sink generates spray in every direction. If the gown becomes soaked through, change it: a saturated gown is no longer a barrier.
Face protection: shield or goggles plus mask
Manual cleaning, brushing, and flushing instruments create aerosols and splashes aimed at your face. A full face shield is the standard choice in decon; the alternative is goggles plus a surgical mask. Either way, eyes, nose, and mouth must be covered. Regular eyeglasses are not face protection.
Hair covering and shoe covers
A bouffant cap or hood keeps hair out of the work and the work out of your hair. Dedicated shoes or shoe covers protect your footwear from contaminated splashes on the wet decon floor. These feel minor until the day they matter.
2The OSHA rule behind the gear
OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030) requires employers to provide appropriate PPE whenever occupational exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials is reasonably anticipated. In decontamination, exposure is not just anticipated, it is certain: every tray arriving from the OR is presumed contaminated. That is why the full set is the default, not a judgment call.
Key points the exam tests: PPE must be provided by the employer at no cost to the employee. It must be appropriate for the task. And the standard assumes all blood and body fluids are infectious (universal precautions), so "it looked clean" is never a reason to skip PPE. The full text of the standard is worth a skim before the exam.
3Donning, doffing, and the order of operations
PPE only works if it goes on and comes off correctly. The exam tests the sequence:
- Don before exposure: gown first, then face protection, then gloves (gloves go over the gown cuffs so no wrist skin is exposed).
- Work the task: keep the PPE on for the entire decontamination task. Do not push up your face shield "just for a second" to see better.
- Doff without contaminating yourself: remove gloves first (peel from the wrist, turning inside out), then the gown (peel away from the body, rolling contaminated surfaces inward), then face protection (handle by the straps or earpieces, not the front).
- Hand hygiene immediately after. Gloves are not a substitute for handwashing. Every doffing sequence ends at the sink or sanitizer.
Reusable utility gloves get cleaned and disinfected per department policy after use; single-use items go in the appropriate waste stream. Sharps go in puncture-resistant containers, never in regular trash, and never recap needles by hand.
!PPE traps on the exam
- Exam gloves vs. utility gloves. The exam will offer thin exam gloves as a distractor for decon tasks. Decon sharps work requires heavy-duty utility gloves.
- "It did not look contaminated." Universal precautions make appearance irrelevant. Any answer that skips PPE based on looks is wrong.
- Eyeglasses as face protection. Regular glasses are not PPE. The answer is a face shield, or goggles plus a mask.
- Gloves replacing hand hygiene. Hand hygiene after doffing is always required. "Gloves were worn, so handwashing is unnecessary" is always wrong.
- Doffing order. Gloves come off first, handled inside-out, without touching the contaminated outer surface with bare hands.
4Where PPE fits in the bigger picture
PPE is one layer of decon safety, alongside the decontamination procedure itself, the design of the decon room, and the cleaning chemistry you are protected from. For the exam's safety domain more broadly, see our content outline guide, and drill it all with our free practice test.