Personal protective equipment: DipIMC practice questions
PHEM curriculum unit 3.2 · Theme 3: Using Pre-hospital Equipment
The DipIMC is blueprinted against phase 1 of the UK Pre-hospital Emergency Medicine (PHEM) curriculum. This page covers unit 3.2, Understand and use personal protective equipment.
Below are 2 free practice questions from the DipIMC.Ninja bank, in the Part A single best answer format. Every answer names the textbook page, guideline or statute it was written from, so you can check it rather than take it on trust. The bank holds 8 questions on this unit.
Question 1 · Scene Safety & Extrication · Easy
A doctor joining an immediate care scheme that responds to collisions on a motorway network is choosing a high-visibility jacket. Which standard should the jacket meet for this work, according to the ABC of Prehospital Emergency Medicine?
AEN 471 Class 1, sufficient for work in any road setting
BEN 471 Class 2, the standard for all ambulance staff
CEN 471 Class 3, required for working on or near motorways
DEN 443, the firefighting standard, which also covers hi-vis
EEN 166, the standard for minimum retro-reflective area
Show answer
Answer: C
EN 471 Class 3, required for working on or near motorways
The ABC states that EN 471 is the European standard for high-visibility clothing and that Class 3 garments are required for anyone likely to be working on or near motorways or dual carriageways. Class 3 offers the highest level of visibility and must incorporate a minimum of 0.80 m² of fluorescent background material and 0.20 m² of retro-reflective material, usually as two 5 cm bands of reflective tape around the body and arms and braces over both shoulders. The Oxford Handbook gives the same standard, saying jackets should conform to BS EN 471 class 2 or preferably class 3, and warns that high-visibility waistcoats are not a substitute for a jacket, offer little if any protection and comply only with class 1. For motorway work the ABC's requirement of Class 3 is the one to follow. EN 443 is the firefighting helmet standard and EN 166 the eye protection standard; neither concerns clothing. Both books quote EN 471 because that was the standard when they were written; check the marking on a garment bought today against the current standard.
Where this comes from
ABC of Prehospital Emergency Medicine
Ch. 3 Personal Protective Equipment · Essential PPE: high-visibility clothing · p. 9“Class 3 garments are required for any individual likely to be working”
Ch. 3 Personal Protective Equipment · Essential PPE: high-visibility clothing · p. 9“on or near motorways or dual carriageways”
Ch. 3 Personal Protective Equipment · Essential PPE: helmet · p. 8“Increasingly, helmets are certified to fire fighting standards (e.g. EN443).”
Oxford Handbook of Pre-Hospital Care
Ch. 1 An approach to pre-hospital care · Personal protective equipment: high-visibility jackets and waistcoats · p. 22“should conform to BS EN 471 2003 class 2 or preferably class 3 standards”
Ch. 1 An approach to pre-hospital care · Personal protective equipment: high-visibility jackets and waistcoats · p. 22“They should comply with BS EN 471 2003 class 1 standards.”
Ch. 1 An approach to pre-hospital care · Personal protective equipment: eye protection · pp. 22–23“This should meet BS EN 166 2001 standard.”
scene-075 · Scene Safety & Extrication · Scene Safety · Easy · v2
Question 2 · Scene Safety & Extrication · Moderate
A new member of a pre-hospital team proposes wearing a lightweight industrial 'bump cap' at road traffic collisions because it is more comfortable than the scheme's issue helmet. Which statement is correct?
AA bump cap is acceptable at collisions provided separate eye protection is always worn with it
BBump caps are not acceptable; wear a helmet to BS EN 443 with a visor and role labelling for extrications
CHead protection is needed only while cutting is under way, and may come off once the roof is removed
DAny CE-marked helmet, including an industrial EN 397 hard hat, is acceptable for extrication
EA helmet is optional for doctors, who rarely handle wreckage and will be warned before any cutting
Show answer
Answer: B
Bump caps are not acceptable; wear a helmet to BS EN 443 with a visor and role labelling for extrications
Both texts agree. The Oxford Handbook states plainly that industrial 'bump hats' are not acceptable: an appropriate helmet meets BS EN 443 2008, has a shell of a strengthened material such as Kevlar, is fitted with a visor, has a mounting for a head torch and is clearly labelled 'doctor', 'nurse' or 'paramedic'. The ABC says prehospital practitioners should wear head protection for all road traffic collisions involving extrication, when working at height, during civil unrest, on industrial sites and in any designated hard-hat area, that helmets are increasingly certified to firefighting standards such as EN 443, and that they should have clear labelling of the wearer's job title and an integrated visor. Eye protection is needed as well as, not instead of, a proper helmet. Head protection is not confined to the moments of cutting: the need applies to the whole extrication. A CE mark is a quality-assurance marking, not a statement that the helmet meets the firefighting standard both books ask for, and an EN 397 industrial hard hat is not such a helmet: the ABC's Table 3.2 lists EN 397 and EN 443 as separate hard-hat standards.
Where this comes from
Oxford Handbook of Pre-Hospital Care
Ch. 1 An approach to pre-hospital care · Personal protective equipment: helmets · p. 22“Industrial ‘bump hats’ are not acceptable.”
Ch. 1 An approach to pre-hospital care · Personal protective equipment: helmets · p. 22“An appropriate helmet will meet British Standard BS EN 443 2008.”
ABC of Prehospital Emergency Medicine
Ch. 3 Personal Protective Equipment · Essential PPE: helmet · p. 8“should wear head protection for all RTCs involving extrication”
Ch. 3 Personal Protective Equipment · Essential PPE: helmet · p. 8“Increasingly, helmets are certified to fire fighting standards (e.g. EN443).”
Ch. 3 Personal Protective Equipment · Legislation: quality assurance and Table 3.2 · p. 7“provides quality assurance via the CE marking system (Table 3.2)”
scene-076 · Scene Safety & Extrication · Scene Safety · Moderate · v2