Instrument Cleaning, Sterilisation and Sharps Procedure

Purpose. This procedure describes the daily routine for reprocessing reusable instruments and managing sharps in the barbershop and clinic.

1.Classification of items

Items must be classified before reprocessing. Critical items that penetrate skin, such as needling cartridges, lancets and piercing needles, must be single-use and disposed of in the sharps container. Semi-critical items that touch intact skin and can contact blood, such as razors, cuticle nippers, extractors and clipper blades, must be cleaned and sterilised after each client. Non-critical items such as combs, brushes and capes must be cleaned and disinfected.

2.Cleaning

Used instruments must be placed in the closed soiled container at the station and taken to the reprocessing area at the end of each service. Wearing gloves and eye protection, staff must rinse instruments in cold water, wash them in warm water and detergent using a brush below the water line, rinse and dry with lint-free cloth. Instruments must be inspected for damage and residue before the next step.

3.Sterilisation

Cleaned semi-critical instruments must be placed in pouches, sealed and loaded into the bench-top steriliser without overlapping. The cycle must be run to the validated parameters and the chemical indicator on each pouch checked when the load is removed. The cycle number, date, load contents, indicator result and operator initials must be recorded in the steriliser log. Pouches must be stored in the closed drawer and used within the shelf life set on the label.

• Pouch, seal and date every item
• Do not overlap items in the chamber
• Check the indicator on every pouch
• Record the cycle in the log

4.Clippers and razors

Clipper blades must be brushed clear of hair, cleaned and sprayed with the approved blade disinfectant between clients, and detached and sterilised at the end of each day. Shaving must use a single-use blade in a cleaned and sterilised handle. Blades must be removed with the blade tool and dropped directly into the sharps container.

5.Sharps

Sharps containers must be wall mounted at each station, below shoulder height, and never filled beyond the line. Staff must never recap needles or reach into a container. Sealed containers must be stored in the locked waste cupboard for contractor collection and the collection recorded in the incident register as a waste movement.

6.Faults and validation

A steriliser that fails a cycle or shows an indicator failure must be tagged out of service and reported to the Operations and Compliance Manager the same day. Items in the failed load must be reprocessed. The steriliser will be serviced and validated annually and the certificate filed with the site registration records.