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Understanding OSHA Requirements

By Patricia A. Trites; MPA, CHBC, CHCC, CMP™ (Hon)
Dr. Charles F. Fenton, III; JD, FACFAS
Hope Rachel Hetico; RN, MHA, CMP™

The OSHA Standard requires that contaminated needles and other contaminated sharp instruments (sharps) must not be bent, recapped, or removed.

Definition

Contaminated sharps are defined as any contaminated object that can penetrate the skin including, but not limited to: needles, scalpels, broken glass, broken capillary tubes, and exposed ends of dental wires.

Contaminated needles and other contaminated sharps must not be recapped or removed from the syringes unless the employer can demonstrate that no alternative is feasible or that such action is required by a specific medical procedure. Also, shearing or breaking of contaminated needles is prohibited. This would include those instances, such as during surgery, where recapping was necessary due to the need to give multiple injections from the same syringe. If needles are recapped, it must be through the use of a one-handed technique.

Two-Handed Recapping

Two-handed needle recapping is strictly prohibited by the Standard. Recapping of needles can be a very dangerous procedure. It is during recapping that most skin punctures occur.

Immediately, or as soon as possible after use, contaminated reusable sharps must be discarded and placed in appropriate containers until properly reprocessed. The containers must be:

• puncture resistant;
• labeled or color-coded; and
• leak proof on the sides and bottom.

Assessment

Finally, containers must be at the site as close as feasible to the use of the sharps. This will limit the risk of injury during the time the sharp would otherwise have been transported from the site of use to the site of disposal. During use, the sharps container must be maintained upright, not be allowed to be overfilled, and replaced routinely. When moving containers of contaminated sharps from the area of use, the containers must be closed immediately prior to removal or replacement to prevent spillage or protrusion of contents during handling. The container must be placed in a secondary container if leakage is possible. Reusable containers must not be opened, emptied, or cleaned manually or in any other manner that would expose employees to the risk of percutaneous injury. Physicians can purchase turn-key sharps containers that, when full, can be shipped back to the distributor for proper disposal.

Conclusion

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Filed under: "Doctors Only", Glossary Terms, Health Law & Policy, Practice Management, Professional Liability | Tagged: Charles Fenton, contaminated needles, contaminated sharps, hope hetico, OSHA, Patricia Trites, sharps, syringes, Two-handed needle recapping | 6 Comments »