What are Sharps?

Sharps are needles, blades (such as scalpels) and other medical instruments that are necessary for carrying out healthcare work and could cause an injury by cutting or pricking the skin. sharps can be found in a variety of different settings, including hospitals, doctor’s offices, and even at home. Sharps are used for a variety of different purposes, such as injections, drawing blood, and performing medical procedures. Sharps can pose a serious safety hazard if they are not handled properly. Used sharps can contain infectious diseases, such as HIV or hepatitis, which can be transmitted to others if the sharps are not disposed of properly.

What is a Sharps Injury?

Sharps are needles, blades (such as scalpels) and other medical instruments that are necessary for carrying out healthcare work and could cause an injury by cutting or pricking the skin. sharps can be found in many different settings, including hospitals, doctor’s offices, clinics, and laboratories. sharps are also often used at home for medical purposes, such as Give blood injections insulin injections.
 

What are Sharps and their Danger

 
There are several different types of sharps, including:

  • Used needles: Needles that have already been used on a patient
  • Syringes: A small tube that is attached to a needle, used to draw up and inject fluids
  • Disposable sharps: Single-use needles or syringes that are meant to be thrown away after one use
  • Reusable sharps: Needles or syringes that can be sterilely reused sharps can pose a serious risk of infection if they are not handled correctly. Used sharps, in particular, can transmit diseases such as HIV and hepatitis if they come into contact with another person’s skin. For this reason, it is important to always follow proper procedures for disposing of sharps. Disposable sharps should be placed in a sealed container before being thrown away, while reusable sharps should be sterilized properly before being used again.

What is the Risk of Handling Sharps?

If you are injured by a sharps, there is a small risk that you could be exposed to an infection, such as a blood-borne virus (BBV). This would occur if the sharps was contaminated with blood or another bodily fluid from an infected patient. The most common blood-borne viruses of concern are hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The transmission of infection depends on several factors, including the person’s natural immunity. Although sharps injuries are quite common, only a small number are known to have caused infections and illness. Therefore, it is important to be aware of the risks and take precautions to prevent exposure to sharps. Used sharps should never be thrown in the trash or flushed down the toilet. Sharps should always be disposed of in a sharps container, which is a special container designed to safely store used sharps.

Who is at Risk From Improper Handling of Sharps?

Workers who handle sharps are at risk of being injured by used needles, syringes, and other sharp devices. Used sharps can transmit infectious diseases, such as hepatitis and HIV, to workers who are accidentally pricked or poked by them. In addition, used sharps can also cause serious cuts and puncture wounds. To protect workers from being injured by sharps, it is important to store and dispose of sharps properly. Used sharps should be placed in a sharps container immediately after they are used. Once a sharps container is full, it should be sealed and disposed of properly. Workers should also wear gloves and other personal protective equipment when handling sharps.
 

What are Sharps and Danger of Them

 
What Does The Law Say?
 
Health and safety law requires employers to take steps to protect workers from sharps injuries, just as they would for any other type of workplace hazard. Relevant legislation includes the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, and the Management of Health and Safety Regulations 1999. In addition, under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR), employers are required to report any sharps injury that results in an employee being taken off work for more than seven days.

Employers must therefore take steps to ensure that workers who may come into contact with sharps are properly trained and equipped to do so safely. This may include providing sharps bins for the safe disposal of used needles and syringes, and ensuring that used sharps are disposed of properly. In addition, employers should consider implementing a sharps policy which sets out how sharps should be handled in the workplace. By taking these precautions, employers can help to prevent sharps injuries and ensure that their employees stay safe at work.

If you have any questions about how to safely dispose of sharps, please contact your local waste management department, healthcare provider or reach out to us.