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Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention |
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Studies show that nurses sustain the
most needlestick injuries and that as many as one-third of all sharps injuries
occur during disposal. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that
62 to 88 percent of sharps injuries can be prevented simply by using safer medical devices. The following references provide
information regarding possible solutions for bloodborne pathogens and needlestick hazards.
Please Note: Articles/references that are dated before April 18, 2001 may not reflect the changes
of the new Bloodborne Pathogens Standard but still provide relevant, general information.
Control Programs
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Model Plans and Programs for the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens and Hazard Communications Standards.
OSHA Publication 3186-06N, (2003). Also available as a 521 KB
PDF,
29 pages. Includes a model exposure control plan
that meets the requirements of the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard and can
be tailored to meet the specific requirements for an establishment.
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Workbook for Designing, Implementing, and Evaluating a Sharps Injury Prevention Program.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of Healthcare
Quality Promotion (DHQP), (2004, February 12).
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Preventing Occupational HIV Transmission to Healthcare Personnel.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), (2002, February).
Offers recommendations to prevent transmission of HIV to healthcare personnel in the workplace.
- Checklist for Sharps Injury Prevention.
University of Virginia, International Health Care Worker Safety Center, 21 KB
PDF,
2 pages. Provides a checklist intended to help facilities comply with the sharps safety requirements of OSHA's Bloodborne
Pathogens Standard.
- A Best Practices Approach for Reducing Bloodborne Pathogens Exposure. Cal/OSHA
Consultation Service, Department of Industrial Relations, (2001), 3 MB
PDF, 100 pages.
Safer Needle Devices
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Use of Blunt-Tip Suture Needles to Decrease Percutaneous Injuries to Surgical
Personnel. OSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Publication No. 2008-101, (2007, October). Also
available as a 281 KB
PDF,
4 pages. Supersedes NIOSH Publication 2007–132
- Sharps
Disposal Containers with Needle Removal Features. OSHA Hazard Information Bulletin
(HIB), (1993, March 12). Alerts field personnel to the risk of possible safety and health hazards that may arise with the use of some sharps disposal containers that incorporate an "unwinder"
mechanism to accomplish needle removal.
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Needle-Free Injection Technology.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Provides background information, scientific bibliography, history, and links to
news reports, policy sources, device manufacturers, and related sites about this method that overcomes the drawbacks of needles for injections.
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Safer Medical Device Implementation in Health Care Facilities - Sharing Lessons Learned.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). NIOSH developed this
forum to
assist health care facilities that are working through the process of implementing safer needle devices
in their workplaces.
- Evaluation
of Safety Devices for Preventing Percutaneous Injuries Among Health-Care Workers During Phlebotomy Procedures -- Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York City, and San Francisco, 1993-1995.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Morbidity and Mortality
Weekly Report (MMWR) 46(02);21-25, (1997, January 17). Indicates that the use of phlebotomy safety devices significantly reduces
phlebotomy-related percutaneous injury (PI) rates.
- Needlestick
and Other Risks from Hypodermic Needles on Secondary I.V. Administration Sets - Piggyback and Intermittent I.V.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Safety Alert, (1992, April
16). Urges the use of needleless systems or recessed needle systems to reduce the risk of needlestick injuries.
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List of Safety-Engineered Sharp Devices -- and other products designed to prevent occupational exposures to bloodborne pathogens.
University of Virginia Health System, International Health Care Worker Safety Center, (2003). Provides a list of devices designed to prevent percutaneous injury and exposure to bloodborne pathogens in the health care setting.
Decontamination
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Selected EPA-registered Disinfectants. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), (2006, January). Includes lists of EPA registered
anti-microbial products to assist in choosing the appropriate decontaminant.
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