Archive for: Needlesticks & Sharps Injuries
Slumdog needlesticks; no award for this performance
A little off the subject, but here’s a scene reminiscent of “Slumdog Millionaire,” however, the happy Bollywood-type ending is yet to be written, if ever.
Officials from the Bharuch regional office of Gujarat (India) Pollution Control Board are investigating a medical device scrap recovery operation where women and children eke out a living by winnowing contaminated needles and sharps “from the disposable filth,” according to the Times of India, March 3.
Managing PPE
We’ve written about personal protective equipment (PPE) on this blog a number of times before including footwear, lab coats (here and here), and the latest OSHA updates.
But PPE in the healthcare setting is arguably one of the most important factors for worker safety, and misusing it can result in injury or illness. Here are additional points to remember when administering PPE training.
Medical Environment Update—Ergonomics keeps workers healthy, budgets happy
Workplace injuries can be a huge burden, especially for small healthcare facilities. But an ergonomics policy doesn’t need a lot of bells and whistles, reports the February issue of Medical Environment Update.
Numbers show that an ergonomics policy in healthcare is arguably more crucial than in any other industry.
Is Bush OSHA vs. Obama OSHA a fork in the road?
Critics have stuck a fork in the Bush administration for some time, and now they are finally getting around to carving up its OSHA legacy.
A Washington Post article characterized OSHA under President Bush as “mired in inaction.” It’s similar to “turning a ketchup bottle upside down, banging the bottom of the container, and nothing comes out,”
For safety’s sake, follow “House” and “Scrubs” on the tube; not in your practice
I spent a fair amount of time over the holidays watching the continuing TV adventures of my favorite misanthrope, Dr. Gregory House.
One of the curious things that I’ve noticed (which is clearly a manifestation of my own obsessive compulsive disorder, as well as my safety-consultant nature) is that the sharps disposal containers located in each of the care environments represented in the various episodes of “House” appear to be mounted at an aperture height of about 72 inches.
Ask the Expert—Safety needles in small healthcare facilities
Q: Just where does it say that we have to use safety needles? We are opening a new medical practice and there is disagreement on this.
Market share and legislation reduce needlesticks
It appears that years of advocacy by needlestick prevention experts, good ol’ capitalism, and, yes, a little bit of heavy-handed regulation by the government, has made it safer in protecting healthcare workers from contracting life-altering or even life-threatening infections such as HIV, HBV, or HCV.
Poll Question: Sharps prevention technology
A new study published by the University of Virginia International Healthcare Worker Safety Center in the December 8, 2008, Journal of Infection and Public Health, found that U.S. healthcare workers are now significantly safer from needlestick injuries. Much of the credit goes to the innovation of safety engineered devices.
However, the study also found that nonhospital settings such as clinics, private doctors’ and dentists’ offices, long-term care facilities, and freestanding laboratories have an adoption rate 25-35% below hospitals.
Which leads us to the poll question of the week: How has your facility reacted in adopting safety-engineered devices?
Note: Adobe Flash Player is required to view this poll. To download the latest version, click here.
Who’s Who in sharps injury prevention
For healthcare workers needlesticks are a serious hazard, so much so that the risk has even forced some out of the medical profession.
That’s why the International Sharps Injury Prevention Society (ISIPS) has chosen to recognize five individuals for the 2008 International Sharps Injury Prevention Award.
While ISIPS has been at the forefront of sharps injury prevention all over the world, these people have shown exemplary work ethic behind the scenes in spreading the message of needlestick prevention.
Poll question: When was your last needlestick exposure?
Since the International Sharps Injury Prevention Society (ISIPS) has recognized five individuals for the 2008 International Sharps Injury Prevention Award, OHSA Healthcare Advisor is wondering when was the last time your facility dealt with a needlestick exposure? Answer the poll question and let us know what happened in the comments section below.
Also, be sure to download the Bloodborne pathogens post-exposure checklist in the Tools section for tips on what to do when an employee suffers a sharps injury.
Note: Adobe Flash Player is required to view this poll. To download the latest version, click here.
