Sharps Safety

Policy

We carefully handle and dispose of any sharp objects (e.g. needles, syringes, cannulas, scalpel blades, stitch cutters) which have been in contact with a patient's blood or body fluids.

All sharps are disposed of in yellow puncture-resistant sharps containers, in accordance with:

• NZS 4304:2002 Management of Healthcare Waste

Sharps containers are safely out of reach of children.

Q46

Full containers are kept in a secure area until collection by the appropriate waste service.

If a needlestick injury occurs, our practice follows a procedure to manage blood or body fluid exposure.

Safe sharps use

If an unattended sharp is found at the practice, pick it up with forceps and place it in the yellow puncture-proof sharps container. Follow the incident management procedure.

When using sharps, be prepared with equipment and make sure there is an approved sharps container within reach.

Do:

• Dispose of sharps safely and at the point of use if possible.

  When disposing of sharps:

  • Do not bend, break, or remove needles.
  • Dispose of syringes and needles as a single unit.
  • Keep fingers away from the opening of sharps containers – never push down a sharp object that is sticking out of a container.
  • Do not overfill the container – containers should be no more than 3/4 full.
  • Do not add extra non-sharp waste into sharps container, e.g. wrappers or swabs.
• Use a kidney dish or similar container if sharps need to be carried.
• Use a sharps safety device if available and activate any safety features immediately after use.
• When the sharps container is 3/4 full, seal it, and place in a secure area, well away from patients and other visitors to the practice.

Do not:

• Recap needles.
• Handle scalpel blades when loading or removing – use forceps to hold the blade.
• Hand a sharp object to someone else or put it on a tray for another person to pick up. Be responsible for disposing of the device you use.

Related policies

Blood or Body Fluid Exposure

Incidents

Waste Management – for disposal and contractor details.