Risk of breaking the skin code of practice

Precautions and aftercare

Before starting any specified service that risks breaking the skin, you must:

• advise the customer of the risks associated with the service and the potential for infection during and after the service
• give advice appropriate to the procedure, concerning precautions and post service procedures that your customer should take.

Floors

The floor of any area where you carry out specified service that risks breaking the skin, must have a smooth and durable surface that is resistant to water and that can be easily cleaned.

You must maintain the floor and the material with which the floor is surfaced in good repair.

Sterilisation / single-use instruments

All instruments or like articles you use on any customer for any specified service that risks breaking the skin must be:

• single-use disposable and immediately disposed of after use; or
• cleaned and sterilised in accordance with the provisions of Sterilisation in Piercing of the Skin and kept so they remain sterile; or
• cleaned and then disinfected by a thermal or chemical disinfection procedure appropriate to the level of disinfection required. If the item is chemically disinfected, then you should observe product-specific recommended contact time.