PPE, and the order that keeps you clean.

Standard Precautions in practice: what to wear, when to add it, and the doff order that keeps what is on your gloves off your face.

Why this matters

Personal protective equipment is OSHA-required and exam-guaranteed. The questions are rarely about what gloves look like; they are about when each item is required and the order you put it on and take it off. Get the doff order right and you keep what is on your gloves off your face.

Key takeaways

• Treat every patient the same. Standard, or Universal, Precautions: every patient's blood and body fluids are handled as if infectious. There is no "low-risk" exception.
• Gloves on every draw. OSHA requires gloves for all venipuncture and capillary collection. Change them between every patient and never reuse a pair.
• Hand hygiene is the single most important step. Wash or sanitize before you glove and again after you remove gloves, between every patient. Gloves do not replace it.
• Escalate PPE to the splash. Add a fluid-resistant gown, a mask, and eye protection only when spatter or aerosol is likely, such as a combative patient or arterial work.
• Doff dirtiest first. Remove gloves first, then goggles, then gown, then mask, and perform hand hygiene afterward. Gloves carry the most contamination, so they come off first.

Standards reference: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1030 and CDC Standard Precautions. Cross-referenced against the ASCP BOC PBT content guideline, Safety & Compliance domain. PhlebotomySkills.com is exam-preparation content. Not a degree, not for-credit coursework, and not affiliated with any certifying body.