Selecting, Evaluating, and Using Sharps Disposal Containers

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  A framework was presented for the selection of disposable and reusable sharps disposal containers and for evaluation of their efficacy as part of a needlestick injury (NSI) prevention plan. The number of NSIs in the health care environment can be reduced by the correct and consistent use of rigid sharps disposal containers. Disposal containers must be functional during their entire usage, accessible to workers who use sharps, visible to the workers who use them, and accommodate both the user and the facility. Existing OSHA requirements and NIOSH recommendation for sharps disposal containers were outlined. The OSHA bloodborne pathogens standard was reviewed, and information was provided on reprocessing reusable sharps disposal containers. NIOSH has recommended that containers be selected based on a site specific hazard analysis. Recommended strategies for selecting and using sharps disposal containers were discussed. A decision logic was presented which outlined appropriate criteria and priorities for container selection. A performance evaluation questionnaire was also included. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Communicable Diseases Health Personnel Laboratories Needlestick Injuries Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Accident-prevention Health-care-personnel Infection-control Laboratory-workers Needlestick-injuries Occupational-hazards Safety-equipment
• Series:
  NIOSH Numbered Publications
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHPUB97111
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Guidance
• Place as Subject:
  Georgia ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OECSP - Office of Extramural Coordination and Special Projects
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-30
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00241064
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB98-137706
• Citation:
  Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 97-111, 1998 Jan; :1-30
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1998
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0bfca2133332ca43e6bde921a00d9f1adb4c149f6972738b9fc9db27877447ccc9128c52866746b9fad6478bb766305454e0649b30e6327dfc692c3048b9b72a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/209732/cdc_209732_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 857.26 KB ]