Safe Use of Sharps & Injury Prevention

SAFE USE OF SHARPS

Safe Use of Sharps & Injury Prevention Needles, syringes, scalpels, Pasteur pipettes, serological pipettes, and other sharps are used in many of the laboratories and clinics at Northeastern University. These are often used in conjunction with hazardous biological, radiological and chemical materials. Exercising safe lab practices and disposing of sharps properly are critical when working with these tools. Always secure sharps in the appropriate waste container immediately after use.

To protect yourself from sharps injuries, adhere to the following: • Avoid using sharps if a safe and effective alternative is available. • Do not recap needles. If recapping is necessary for the work being done, never use a two handed technique. Rather, use a mechanical means such as a recapping device, tongs or a one-handed scoop technique to recap. • Plan your use of sharps in advance to ensure safe handling and disposal. • Locate your waste container in a place where it is easily accessible and close to where you are working, so that you can immediately secure the sharp once you are done using it. • Select, evaluate and use sharps with safety features that reduce the risk of injury whenever possible. • When using safety sharps, pay close attention to ensure that you utilize it properly and make sure the safety is completely engaged. Many exposures occur when the safety feature is not used properly. • Treat and report all exposures to bloodborne pathogens immediately to ensure that you receive proper care. • Utilize plasticware instead of glass whenever possible. • Follow all guidelines for the use of all sharps. • Complete training annually.

Sharps with Safety Features:

There are many devices on the market that have engineered sharps injury protection, which help prevent needlestick injuries and exposure to bloodborne pathogens. New products are continually being developed, so the list of resources below is not comprehensive. Annually each laboratory and clinic using sharps must investigate and evaluate new options for safety devices. For more information about this process, please see the Northeastern University Exposure Control Plan.

International Sharps Injury Prevention Society The International Sharps Injury Prevention Society (ISIPS) provides a comprehensive list of safety equipment that is engineered to reduce the number of needlestick and sharps injuries. The link below connects you to a list of safety devices organized into categories: http://www.isips.org/page/safety_product_categories

University of Virginia Health System – Global Initiative for Healthcare Worker Safety This site provides links to medical device manufactures and can be used as a resource for finding companies that sell safety devices for sharps. Since this website is not updated regularly, it does not provide a current list of all devices available: http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/pub/epinet/new/safetydevice.ht ml

Sandel – Medical Solutions Guard-It is a safe alternative for recapping needles. http://www.sandelmedical.com/products.asp? id=1204

Safety Shield provides protection from needlestick injuries when drawing medication from a vial. http://www.sandelmedical.com/products.asp?id=1215

Safety Scalpels have a sliding shield to cover the blade. http://www.sandelmedical.com/products.asp?id=713

Vanish Point These products retract the needle from the patient and reduce the exposure to the contaminated needle. Products include syringes ranging from 1cc to 10cc and blood collection tube holder. This company also produces IV catheters. http://www.vanishpoint.com

ECRI Institute – Sharps Safety and Needlestick Prevention Information is geared towards healthcare and provides an assessment form for sharps devices and a cost calculation worksheet. https://www.ecri.org/Products/Pages/sharps_safety_needlestick_prevention.aspx