Things you should know about sharps disposal

There is a very strong requirement to dispose utilized sharps, syringes and needles. This requirement for a precise system of sharps disposal arises from the damage that can be caused by injury from a utilized needle. The stakes comprise of contracting blood borne viruses like Hepatitis C and B and HIV from polluted blood on needles. Even if a needle is not polluted, the psychological impact of such an injury while awaiting test outcomes can be incredible.

The duties of the employer in the Sharps Regulation only apply if you are either an employer whose basic work activity is the management, provision of healthcare or organization or a contractor working for a healthcare employer and your employees might be at stake of a sharps injury while on the premises of or working under the supervision and management of the healthcare employer. This is why usage of a safe sharps container is so important.

The regulation of Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) needs a firm system or process to make sure the polluted waste is disposed safely. It is clearly mentioned in Sharps Regulations that safe containers should be placed near to the areas where medical sharps are utilized. Instruction to the staffs on safe medication disposal should also be placed in those areas.

In various healthcare amenities, sharps disposal bins can be placed next to the healthcare worker so they can drop the utilized sharp straightaway. For instance, in wards, this can be done by putting the sharps container on the trolley. It is also required to have one in every consultation room.

The purple top for a sharps container are for cyto polluted sharps and are meant for incineration only. They are suggested for the accumulation, segregation and disposal of sharps polluted with cytostatic or cytotoxic medicines.