Controlling exposures to occupational hazards, including the risk of infection, is the fundamental method of protecting staff and users of a facility/workplace. 

The hierarchy of controls details  the most to the least effective controls and is applied across a wide range of occupational settings to ensure staff and service user safety.  It should also be used within health and care settings to prevent the transmission of infection.

Hierarchy of controls (Version 2.0, 5 December 2022)

Please Note: The Transmission Based Precautions Literature Review is currently in progress. NIPCM content, appendices and resources will be reviewed following the outcome of this review.