Sharps: One of the Most Dangerous Medical Waste

Medical devices with sharp points or edges that can accidentally puncture or cut the skin are used in healthcare on a daily basis.

Stress-full and faced paced working environment is a common cause of injuries that occur among healthcare professionals. Not surprisingly, every year there is a great number of injuries that are associated with sharps.

Safety hazards

Injuries caused by sharps mostly include needle pokes and small wounds in the skin that are often not a big deal. However, what can be worse–these injuries can pose you in a serious health risk due to transmission of bloodborne diseases such as hepatitis, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), tuberculosis, malaria, toxoplasmosis, and others.

Prevention

What can you do to reduce the risk of injuries? Follow the rules below:

• Receive proper education on needlestick injury prevention in safety training programs.
• Handle the hasp devices and material correctly.
• Use gloves that provide resistance to penetrating injuries.
• Dispose sharps safely in a readily available sharps disposal container or a heavy-duty plastic household container.

How can you help to reduce the risk of sharp injuries with proper handling, disposal and packaging of medical waste? Read more in our previous blog post What to Put in the Sharps Container.