The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have jointly published a Safety and Health Information Bulletin (SHIB) (NIOSH 2007-132 and OSHA SHIB # 03-23-2007) designed to help protect surgical personnel from needle stick injuries while using suture needles.

The SHIB, available on the OSHA Web site at http://www.OSHA.gov/dts/shib/shib032307.html and on the NIOSH website http://www.cdc.gov/NIOSH/docs/2007-132/, describes the hazards of sharp-tip suture needles; presents evidence of the effectiveness of blunt-tip needles in decreasing injuries; and emphasizes OSHA’s requirement to use appropriate, available, and effective safer medical devices. 

If you have any technical comments or are aware of any new data, research, or information relevant to this topic, please submit them to the NIOSH Docket Number NIOSH-106, using one of the options listed below. If you have any questions about the SHIB, please contact Walter Alarcon at 513-841-4451 or email WAlarcon@cdc.gov

The comment submission period for NIOSH Docket #106 closed at 5:00 p.m. EDT on July 27, 2007