Infection Control · single question
In the hierarchy of hazard controls, which method is the CHEAPEST to implement but the MOST expensive to maintain over time?
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Correct answer: C. Personal protective equipment (PPE)
- A. Incorrect. Engineering controls (sharps containers, high-volume evacuation, ventilation, needle-recapping devices) are EXPENSIVE up-front capital purchases but cheap to maintain, and they protect everyone passively without depending on behaviour.
- B. Incorrect. Substitution — replacing a hazardous material with a safer one — is high on the hierarchy and, once implemented, requires no ongoing per-person cost.
- C. Correct. PPE sits at the BOTTOM of the hierarchy and is the LEAST effective control. It is cheap to start (buy gloves, masks, eyewear) but carries a very high recurring cost: continuous purchasing of disposables, fit-testing, training, storage, disposal, and ongoing compliance monitoring — and it fails the moment a worker does not wear it correctly.
- D. Incorrect. Administrative controls (policies, work schedules, protocols, training programmes) fall in the middle on both cost dimensions.
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