Ask the expert: Sticks with non-contaminated needles
Q: If an employee gets stuck with a non-contaminated needle, does OSHA view it as an exposure incident?
A: No, the bloodborne pathogens standard applies only to contaminated needles and sharps. The standard defines contaminated as “the presence or the reasonably anticipated presence of blood or other potentially infectious materials on an item or surface.”
While a non-contaminated needlesticks requires no OSHA follow-up, it is prudent to review the incident, assess why it happened, and educate toward preventing similar instances with contaminated sharps in the future.
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David LaHoda
David LaHoda, the managing editor of Medical Environment Update and OSHA Watch, has produced healthcare training videos and consulted for medical practices and ambulatory healthcare facilities.
David has written 196 posts.
Comments
If the source patient is negative for all ( HIV,HepB and HepC )do you need to do follow up on the person that had the sharp exposure.We do a baseline on the employee and follow up for 3 months if every thing is negative for the source pt. Some hospitals tell me if every test for the source is negative they only follow up if the employee wants to at 3 months.Can you clarify the standard
Thank You
Rosemary Gray
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