Infection Control Part 3: CDC Standard Precautions (ARRT Registry Review)

In any imaging suite, the equipment is easy to recognize—collimators, detectors, tubes, and control panels. What remains unseen is the steady presence of microorganisms on surfaces, in the air, and throughout every patient interaction. In radiologic technology, real protection does not come from positioning technique or exposure settings. It comes from a consistent commitment to CDC Standard Precautions, the core of effective infection control.

Standard Precautions rarely receive attention, yet they safeguard the long-term health of both patients and technologists. They support the safety of individuals who enter the imaging environment during moments of stress, pain, or illness. For students preparing for the ARRT® exam, understanding these precautions is essential not only for testing but for professional practice.

Standard Precautions operate on a simple principle: treat all patients and all surfaces as potentially infectious. While guidelines outline the specifics, true mastery comes from applying them within the fast-moving workflow of radiography, where small lapses can create significant risks.

The Role of Standard Precautions in Imaging

Standard Precautions are more than procedural steps—they guide mindset, movement, and the overall approach to patient safety. They shape how technologists navigate the radiographic environment with consistency and awareness.

Hand Hygiene: The Foundation of Infection Control

Hand hygiene is identified as the most effective way to prevent the transmission of infectious agents. It must occur before and after every patient encounter, even when gloves are used. This applies to every action—touching equipment, assisting a patient, cleaning surfaces, or removing protective gear.

Routine handwashing requires 20 seconds to ensure the removal of transient flora. For sterile procedures, guidelines recommend a thorough 5-minute scrub that includes the hands and forearms.

Many students underestimate hand hygiene due to its simplicity. However, infection control often fails during moments of haste or complacency. In radiologic technology, skipping small steps can compromise both patient safety and technologist protection.

Personal Protective Equipment in Radiography

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) serves as a critical barrier and a visible indicator of professional responsibility. Standard Precautions emphasize three essential types of PPE for imaging professionals:

1. Gloves

Gloves must be worn whenever exposure to blood, body fluids, mucous membranes, or contaminated surfaces is possible. They are single-use items and must be changed between patients or whenever compromised. Gloves do not replace hand hygiene; they complement it.

2. Gowns

Gowns protect clothing from infectious materials. The back of the gown is considered contaminated, and movement within sterile environments requires adherence to strict spatial awareness—front-to-front or back-to-back positioning to maintain clean and contaminated zones.

3. Masks

Masks protect against droplets during close patient contact. They must fit securely to reduce exposure risk. They are especially important during portable exams, fluoroscopic procedures, and anytime a patient is coughing or symptomatic.

Surface Contamination in Radiography: Managing High-Touch Equipment and Patient Areas

Radiography demands constant movement—positioning detectors, adjusting tables, guiding patients, and handling equipment throughout each exam. Every action creates a point of contact, and every surface touched by a patient must be considered contaminated according to CDC guidance. In the imaging environment, contamination spreads quietly through routine interactions, making consistent surface management a critical component of infection control.

Common radiographic surfaces that require thorough cleaning include:

• X-ray tables

• Tube handles

• Collimators

• Digital detectors

• Immobilization sponges

• Lead aprons

• Control consoles

• Stretchers and wheelchairs

Contamination does not appear suddenly or dramatically; it transfers invisibly through overlooked details. For this reason, technologists must operate with a clear distinction between the “clean world” and the “dirty world,” ensuring these zones never overlap.

Every exam should end with a complete wipe-down of all touched surfaces using hospital-approved disinfectants. Proper contact time is essential; disinfectants must remain on the surface long enough to achieve microbial kill. When cleaning is rushed, effectiveness is lost—and infection control breaks down.

In busy imaging departments, it is easy to skip a step or delay a cleaning task. But infection control failures rarely stem from major incidents—they arise from small, repeated lapses. Professionals choose discipline over speed every time.

Disposal of Contaminated Materials: A Core Responsibility

Proper disposal of contaminated materials reflects a technologist’s judgment and professionalism. Positioning and image acquisition may be straightforward, but consistent disposal practices require intentional focus. Infection-control documents outline four primary categories:

1. Linens

Linens exposed to blood, body fluids, or infectious materials must be handled with minimal movement. Shaking or snapping linens can release pathogens into the air. They should be rolled inward, keeping the clean surfaces outward, and placed directly into designated bags. Methodical linen handling builds trust across clinical teams.

2. Needles

Needles must never be recapped, bent, broken, or stored in pockets. They must be placed immediately into puncture-resistant sharps containers. In radiography, this standard applies to:

• Contrast injection needles

• Needles used for local anesthetics in fluoroscopy

• Biopsy needles

• Syringes used in interventional exams

Infection risk often begins with a small lapse—such as placing a needle on a table instead of securing it.

3. Patient Supplies

Items such as urinals, emesis basins, disposable positioning aids, and tissues must be discarded based on their contamination level. If an item is possibly contaminated, it should be treated as contaminated. This principle leaves no room for exceptions.

4. Blood and Body Fluids

Fluids must be absorbed with appropriate materials, then disposed of in designated medical waste containers. Surrounding surfaces must be disinfected thoroughly. Dried blood or contrast residue may look harmless, but it still carries infectious potential and must never remain on any imaging surface.

Proper disposal is quiet but powerful—it signals reliability, awareness, and professional maturity.

Safe Injection Practices in Imaging Procedures

Safe injection technique is one of the most essential responsibilities within radiology, especially during contrast administration, arthrograms, myelography, and interventional support. CDC guidelines require strict adherence to the following principles:

• Use a new needle and syringe for every injection.

• Never reuse needles, syringes, or saline flushes.

• Maintain sterile technique at every step.

• Use multi-dose vials for a single patient whenever possible.

• Never reuse single-dose vials.

• Perform hand hygiene before and after handling injection equipment.

Safe injection practices extend beyond technical performance. They reflect a technologist’s ethical commitment to patient safety and procedural integrity. During fluoroscopic or contrast-based procedures, you must anticipate potential contamination and protect the sterile field as if it were a physical barrier.

Technologists who earn lasting respect are the ones who proceed with intention—moving carefully, thinking ahead, and treating every injection as a moment that matters.

Beyond Compliance: Developing a Professional Mindset for Standard Precautions in Radiologic Technology

Standard Precautions are more than a list of infection-control steps. They represent a mindset of awareness and responsibility—one that requires consistent focus, thoughtful movement, and ethical decision-making. In radiologic technology, this mindset separates routine performance from true professional practice.

The CDC’s guidance reinforces a foundational principle: every patient must be treated as if they carry an infectious agent. This eliminates assumptions that can create risk in imaging environments. A patient may appear healthy, quiet, or asymptomatic, and yet carry organisms capable of transmission. Surfaces that look clean may still contain microbial residue from previous exams.

Radiographers who internalize Standard Precautions begin to see contamination patterns the way they see anatomy—clearly, deliberately, and with purpose. This awareness becomes a form of clinical intuition, guiding hand movements, equipment handling, and environmental decisions throughout the imaging workflow.

The Radiologic Technologist as a Protective Barrier

Infection control is not theoretical. Standard Precautions are embedded in everyday radiography tasks and directly influence patient outcomes, technologist safety, and departmental workflow.

Hand Hygiene: The First Layer of Protection

Hand hygiene marks the start and end of every exam. It is the boundary that prevents cross-contamination between patients and ensures each interaction begins with a clean slate. This single action defines the quality of your infection control.

Personal Protective Equipment: A Shield You Control

PPE—gloves, gowns, and masks—protect both the technologist and the patient. More importantly, they reflect a commitment to safety. Wearing PPE communicates professionalism and demonstrates respect for the unseen risks present in clinical settings.

Decontaminating Surfaces and Equipment: Breaking Transmission Chains

Cleaning detectors, tables, and collimator handles is more than simple housekeeping. Each wipe removes potential pathogens and breaks links in the chain of transmission. These steps are often unnoticed, yet they contribute directly to safer patient care.

Correct Disposal Practices: Ethics in Action

Sharps containers, biohazard bags, and linen protocols exist to prevent harm. Whether handling needles, contaminated linens, or patient supplies, disciplined disposal reduces the possibility of infection. Proper disposal is not just technical—it is a reflection of accountability.

Safe Injection Practices: Precision and Control

Contrast injections, local anesthetics, and fluoroscopic procedures require strict adherence to sterile technique. Using appropriate vials, clean syringes, and single-use equipment ensures that contamination does not compromise patient safety. These actions build trust and demonstrate mastery.

Standard Precautions and ARRT® Preparedness

ARRT® exam preparation requires more than memorizing infection-control facts. It requires understanding how to apply them consistently under pressure. Exam questions challenge whether the technologist can:

• Identify the correct PPE during unexpected patient symptoms

• Maintain sterile fields during procedures

• Recognize a breach in technique before it becomes a risk

• Clean equipment properly between exams

• Perform hand hygiene even when the hands appear clean

These competencies reflect real clinical expectations. Standard Precautions influence patient trust, image quality, departmental workflow, and the technologist’s long-term health.

The Unseen Impact of a Clean Technologist

The most important victories in radiologic technology are the ones no one sees: the infections prevented, the exposures avoided, the contamination that never spreads. These outcomes are the result of technologists who prioritize Standard Precautions with consistency and integrity.

There is no applause for routine cleaning or proper disposal. Yet these actions protect careers, preserve health, and build reputations rooted in reliability. Over time, they shape not only technical skill but professional character.

Radiologic technology is built on images, but the greatest impact is invisible—found in the commitment to safety, the discipline of clean technique, and the constant vigilance that protects every patient who enters the imaging suite.

This is the essence of Standard Precautions:

• A mindset grounded in awareness

• Movements guided by respect

• A daily discipline that leaves no trace of harm

These principles elevate a technologist from competent to exceptional.