Which term describes the protective equipment worn to reduce exposure risk?

• A. Personal Protective Equipment
• B. Body Substance Isolation precautions
• C. Scene Safety
• D. Mechanism of Injury

Answer: (A)

PPE stands for Personal Protective Equipment—the protective gear you wear to reduce exposure risk. This includes gloves, masks or respirators, eye protection, gowns, and face shields. The purpose is to create a barrier between you and hazards like blood, bodily fluids, or airborne particles during patient care, helping prevent contamination and infection.

Body Substance Isolation precautions describe the overall practices used to prevent exposure, but they’re about procedures and policies rather than the equipment itself. Scene Safety focuses on ensuring the environment is safe for you and the patient before care begins, not on the protective gear you wear. Mechanism of Injury is about how the injury happened, not about protective equipment. So the term that specifically names the protective equipment worn to reduce exposure risk is Personal Protective Equipment.