Needlestick Prevention on the Farm

Details

• Personal Author:
  Vance NK
• Description:
  Over 80% of farm workers vaccinating animals have accidentally stuck themselves with a needle. Vaccines are the most common type of drug involved in needlestick injuries. They can occur when injecting farm animals with animal health products. If the animal suddenly jumps or moves, a worker could accidentally be stuck by the needle. Injuries have also occurred when workers have carried syringes loaded with medication in their pockets. These incidents should be considered serious as their effect on humans can vary greatly depending on the type of drug injected. Certain antibiotics and other medications designed for animals can result in severe medical reactions, or even death, if they are injected into a person. Needlestick injuries can result in several types of injuries (from Agricultural Medicine, by Donham and Thelin, 2006). They include: Infection from a contaminated needle; Infection from the product injected; and Inflammation from the product injected. Prevention and Control: Your employer should always direct you to the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for information on any drug or vaccine used in your facility. This will inform you of any risks or treatments associated with that drug. If you have questions about your safety after reading the MSDS for any compound used in your facility, you should consult with a physician to assess any specific health risks that you may have based on your contact with the product. To ensure you understand the safety concerns related to compounds used in your facility and that you are confident in your ability to work with them, your employer should ask you to sign a Hazardous Chemical Disclosure Form. This form will be specific to the chemicals used in the facility. Women who do not feel comfortable working with hormones do not have to sign the form nor are they obligated to perform the specific task. This safety blast also includes prevention tips at the worker level and at the management level, as well as some dos and don'ts of what to do in case of accidental needlesticks. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Agriculture Hazardous Substances Health Promotion Livestock Needlestick Injuries Occupational Health Public Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Accident Prevention Agricultural Industry Agricultural Safety Animal Handlers Hazardous Drugs Health Promotion Injury Prevention Livestock Industry Needlestick Injuries Public Health Safety Education

  More +
• Publisher:
  The Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention, and Education
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Newsletter
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 6 ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20053316
• Citation:
  Monthly Safety Blast. Tyler, TX: The Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention, and Education, 2016 Jun; :website
• Email:
  agcenter@uthct.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2016
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Texas Health Center at Tyler
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  Monthly Safety Blast
• End Date:
  20270929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:28d9b3ad7b21957c6b027f6488bffb9385011f71122d7c521d9a49d4449dc6db7908d14f186081515fdfee557e40c82051a5185fb63896e5170258517602dcaa
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/216103/cdc_216103_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 344.80 KB ]