Facility Standards: Safety and Infection Control

About 18 of every 45 questions on a Oregon Laws and Rules Exam practice exam come from this topic.

Sources checked November 14, 2026

Oregon's cosmetology rules change on January 1, 2027: a 2025 law adds a provisional certificate, and the Board of Cosmetology plans to adopt temporary rules in December 2026. These practice questions come only from parts of the law those changes don't touch, so they leave out certificate qualifications, renewal, fees and civil penalties. We'll recheck the whole bank against the new rules once they're filed.

What to know

Holders must observe all applicable city, county, state and federal regulations. When serving clients they wash hands with soap and water or an alternative product (gel, spray, foam or packaged wipes) immediately before and after each client, wear single-use gloves for services that routinely involve exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials (OPIM), and wear goggles, shields or a mask if spattering is likely. Hot and cold running water and wash basins must be on the premises and in any work area using hazardous materials; a restroom sink is not the facility's water source unless only natural hair care is provided. Hand soap and individual cloth or paper towels (or air blowers) must be available; bar soap and common towels are prohibited. Employee restrooms must be on the premises or in a reasonably accessible adjoining premise and kept clean, sanitary and working at all times; liquid waste goes to a public sewer or a system meeting ORS chapter 454. Use clean towels for each client, keep soiled linens in closable, sturdy containers and chemically soiled ones in fire-retardant containers, and launder them commercially or with commercial laundry detergent and a hot water wash/rinse. A neck strip or towel keeps a common-use cape off the skin; articles that cannot be cleaned or disinfected go in a covered receptacle immediately after use. Wax and similar substances are applied without contaminating the container, covered when not in use, kept at the manufacturer's temperature and discarded immediately after use. Chemical waste goes in a closed container after each service and a fire-retardant container at day's end; blood waste goes in a glove or plastic bag, then a covered, lined container right after the service; sharps go in a closable, leak-proof, puncture-resistant biohazard container; and used wax leaves the facility each business day. Tools and implements must be disinfected or sterilized before use on each client; those that touch clients but cannot be must be disposed of. To disinfect nonelectrical tools, remove all hair and foreign material, wash with soap or detergent and water, rinse, then immerse or sterilize. Tools without sharp edges or points, such as combs, brushes, rollers and rods, are completely immersed in a commercial quaternary ammonium solution or other low-level disinfectant; tools with sharp edges or points are completely immersed in a high-level disinfectant. Approved sterilizers are FDA-registered and listed. Disinfecting equipment must be adequate for the business volume and number of practitioners, and disinfectants must be kept at effective strength, free of foreign material and available whenever the facility is open. Pumice and buffer blocks, nail files and similar articles go to the client or are discarded. Reusable gloves are washed and disinfected after each use; disposable gloves are discarded immediately. Electrical tools are disinfected before each use with a low-level disinfectant, but clipper blades are completely saturated with a high-level solution, spray or foam. Clean tools are stored separately, in drawers used only for clean tools. A disposable cover is used when trying on hairpieces, and used hair goods are cleaned and marked "used" before resale. Only service animals and aquarium fish are allowed. Equipment surfaces, except in a service-free reception area, are cleanable and non-porous; blood-contaminated surfaces and foot spas (screens and filters included) get a high-level disinfectant. Working-area floors are cleanable and non-porous (wood with a durable waterproof non-porous finish may be acceptable), clippings go in a covered container, and walls and ceilings must be free of condensation, mildew, excessive spots and peeling paint. Under ORS 690.205, domestic use is allowed in a separate, customer-free room with floor-to-ceiling walls and doors closed during operation.

Where it comes from

• OAR 817-010-0007
• OAR 817-010-0008
• OAR 817-010-0014
• OAR 817-010-0021
• OAR 817-010-0035
• OAR 817-010-0040
• OAR 817-010-0055
• OAR 817-010-0060
• OAR 817-010-0068
• OAR 817-010-0069
• OAR 817-010-0075
• OAR 817-010-0085
• OAR 817-010-0095
• OAR 817-010-0101
• OAR 817-010-0106
• OAR 817-010-0110
• ORS 690.205

Try a practice question

Ready for a full run? The Oregon Cosmetology Laws and Rules Exam Practice Test is 45 questions in 45 minutes, scored at 75%. For the official exam's details, see Oregon Cosmetology Laws and Rules Exam Requirements.