OSHA Needlestick Protocol

OSHA Needlestick Protocol thumbnail
Needlestick Protocol

Over five million healthcare workers run the risk of needlestick exposures in the course of their jobs. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) legitimately focuses on preventing needlestick injuries as well as establishing needlestick protocol.

  1. Warning

    • Failure to adhere to OSHA needlestick protocol leads to substantial fines. Recently, a dental office experienced needlestick injuries with office employees. Because the employees received no free follow-up testing or training regarding post-needlestick protocol, the dental office was fined over $70,000.

    Considerations

    • OSHA implemented needlestick protocol to prevent the exposure of diseases that spread via blood and bodily fluids like HIV/AIDS, Hepatitus B and Hepatitus C. The protocol official includes other fluids like vaginal secretions and saliva in addition to blood.

    Features

    • The OSHA maintains reported records of exposures via needlestick on a OSHA 300 form. Currently, only 25 states have needlestick protocols approved by the OSHA.

    Prevention/Solution

    • OSHA reported the results of studies on the causes of needlestick injuries. It found that at least 60 percent of the injuries occurred during the disposal of a needlstick. OSHA's findings revealed training on proper disposal of needlestick will significantly reduce the number of accidental exposures.

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References

  • Photo Credit needle image by Marek Kosmal from Fotolia.com

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