Ratified: 10 July 2000

PROCEDURES Title : PROCEDURES SHARPS MANAGEMENT AND INJURY PROTOCOL

2) 3) 4)

Descriptors : 1) Category : OS&H

Purpose
Organisational Scope

Policy Statement
Definitions Principles Content

References Contact Information

1. Title Procedures Sharps Management and Injury Protocol 2. Purpose The purpose of this document is to provide a safe and efficient means for the handling and the disposal of needles, syringes and sharp objects to ensure, as far as possible, that injuries do not occur. 3. Scope These procedures cover all activities where sharps* are produced or used within the Faculty of Computing, Health and Science. They must be followed by all staff, students or others handling sharps. *Sharps are defined as: any objects capable of inflicting penetrating injury, and includes needles, pins, fine forceps, scalpel blades, wires, probes, trocars, auto lancets, stitch cutters, scissors, toothpicks, and broken glassware. 4. Statement
VACCINATIONS

All staff and students who are or will be exposed to sharps hazards should be encouraged to have Hepatitis B vaccinations. These can be arranged through the Campus Medical Suites, or your personal physician.

Sharps Management and Injury Protocol Version 1.1 Document Owner: Chair, CHS OSH Committee

Last Updated: 1 December 2003

Ratified: 10 July 2000 SHARPS MANAGEMENT

All safety procedures must be adhered to during the handling of sharps. Each staff member and student will: have received instruction from qualified laboratory personnel in the correct handling of sharps before any use of sharps is undertaken. be responsible for the correct disposal of any sharps they personally generate. dispose of all needles, lancets, stillets, glass pipettes, disposable scalpels, scalpel blades, and other sharp objects in the correct manner. not recap needles. not place their hands in any sharps containers.

SHARPS INJURY PROTOCOL

Any person sustaining a puncture injury or cut from sharps should: 1. Thoroughly wash the wound area with soap and water. Alcohol-based hand rinses, gels or foams containing 60-90% alcohol by weight should be used when water is not available. 2. Report the incident immediately to the area supervisor and/or the area Occupational Safety and Health Representative or Officer. 3. Contact the nearest First Aid Officer if immediate first aid treatment is required. Current First Aid Officers are listed at the end of this document. 4. Complete an Accident Report form. The source of contamination should be noted, along with the type of exposure, the duration of exposure, and the likelihood of the source being positive for a blood pathogen. This information should also be supplied to the medical practitioner treating the injured person. 5. Arrangements should be made for the injured person to see the campus doctor immediately, or advised to seek outside medical attention as soon as possible, for wound attention and blood tests. Contact numbers are listed at the end of this document. 6. Where a puncture or cut is deliberately inflicted as part of a authorised laboratory session under the supervision of a qualified staff member, then it is not necessary to complete steps 2 to 5 above, unless an unforeseen injury occurs.

Sharps Management and Injury Protocol Version 1.1 Document Owner: Chair, CHS OSH Committee

Last Updated: 1 December 2003

Ratified: 10 July 2000

5. Content
HANDLING OF SHARPS

1. All staff and students should take precautions to prevent injuries caused by needles, scalpels, and other sharp instruments or devices during procedures, when cleaning instruments, during the disposal of used needles, and when handling sharp instruments and equipment during and after procedures. 2. Where sharps are being used when dealing with potentially infectious or infectious materials, with all body fluids and substances, or with chemicals or drugs, the sharps will be then regarded also as potentially infectious and will be disposed of accordingly. 3. The receptacle into which these sharps are to be placed must be yellow in colour and labelled as Medical Sharps Waste or Infectious Waste and have a universal biohazard symbol displayed. 4. Such sharp containers must be puncture resistant, moisture-proof, shatterproof, capable of being sealed and able to withstand heavy handling. 5. All sharp objects are to be kept separated from general waste and general waste receptacles. 6. Needles should never be recapped, purposely bent, or broken by hand, or otherwise manipulated by hand. 7. Needles should never be removed from disposable syringes. The syringe and needle (in tact) should be disposed of immediately after use into a sharp receptacle. 8. In situations where the syringe needs to be retained and the needle removed, denotching devices must be used to remove the needle directly into the sharps bin. 9. In situations where needles and scalpel blades need to be resheathed, resheathing or shielding instruments must be employed, or the sheath/cap may be placed horizontally on a flat surface and the needle or scalpel inserted into the sheath/cap with one hand. 10. Any detached needles that have not been discarded should be picked up by forceps or tongs and disposed of in the sharps bin. 11. Never place your hands in a sharps container, or remove any objects from a sharps containers. 12. Staff and students are responsible for the correct disposal of any sharps that they use or produce.

Sharps Management and Injury Protocol Version 1.1 Document Owner: Chair, CHS OSH Committee

Last Updated: 1 December 2003

Ratified: 10 July 2000 SHARPS CONTAINERS

1. Point-of-use sharps containers make sharp disposal more convenient and safer. 2. Sharps containers will be provided in all areas where procedures involving sharps are likely to be performed. 3. The sharps container should be located as close as practicable to the work area. No one should have to walk any distance to properly dispose of a used sharp. 4. Needles or other sharp objects should not be forced into sharps containers that are too small to cater for their disposal nor into full containers. 5. Sharps containers should be no more than three-quarters full. If sharps containers are three quarters full, the opening should be securely closed, removed for disposal and replaced immediately. 6. Disposal of sharps containers must be made through an approved waste management contractor. 7. Refer to: Australian/New Zealand Standards AS/NZS 4301:Non-reusable Containers for the Collection of Sharp Medical Items Used in Health Care Areas, and AS/NZS 4261: Reusable Containers for the Collection of Sharp Items Used in Human and Animal Applications.

PROCESSING OF RE-USABLE INSTRUMENTS AND EQUIPMENT

The nature of the equipment and instruments and their application will determine the cleaning/sterilising processes required and their subsequent handling during these processes. Immediate Handling After Use: 1. Immediately after use, all instruments and equipment should be immersed in warm water and detergent or proteolytic enzyme cleaner, prior to routine cleaning and processing. 2. Thorough cleaning of all items should take place after soaking to ensure that all particulate matter likely to harbour infectious and harmful matter is removed. 3. When cleaning contaminated sharp instruments and equipment manually, heavy-duty rubber gloves and face protection (safety glasses or spectacles and overglasses, and mask or face shield) should be worn. 4. Refer to: Australian Standards AS4187 and the CHS Faculty Infection Control Manual for detailed information on procedures for cleaning, disinfecting and sterilising re-usable sharp instruments and equipment.

Sharps Management and Injury Protocol Version 1.1 Document Owner: Chair, CHS OSH Committee

Last Updated: 1 December 2003

Ratified: 10 July 2000 INFORMATION AVAILABILITY

Copies of the following publications will be made readily available near each site where sharps are used or procedures are performed: 1. Infection Control in the Health Care Setting: NHMRC/ANCA, 1996. (Redraft in progress 2003) www.nhmrc.gov.au/publications/pdf/ic6.pdf 2. Safe Handling of Sharps: Worksafe Australia, 2000. www.safetyline.wa.gov.au. See the Code of Practice on the Management of HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis at Workplaces 2000 www.safetyline.wa.gov.au/pagebin/codewswa0197.pdf 3. Sharps Management and Sharps Injury Protocol. Faculty of Computing, Health and Science, Edith Cowan University, 2003. (This policy document). Laboratory Safety Fact Sheets-Lists of Procedures www.chs.ecu.edu.au/org/osh/documents/procedures/index/html 4. Standards Australia AS4187: Multiple-Use Instrument Cleaning, 2003. Australian/New Zealand Standards AS/NZS 4301:Non-reusable Containers for the Medical Items Used in Health Care Areas, and AS/NZS 4261: Reusable Containers for the Collection of Sharp Items Used in Applications. Standards Australia AS4187: Multiple-Use Instrument Cleaning, 2003. Australian/New Zealand Standards AS/NZS 4301:Non-reusable Containers for the Medical Items Used in Health Care Areas, and AS/NZS 4261: Reusable Containers for the Collection of Sharp Items Used in Applications. www.standards.com.au 5. CHS Faculty Infection Control Manual: Edith Cowan University, 2003. www.chs.ecu.edu.au/org/osh/documents/procedures/index/html 6. Infection Control Policy and Guidelines: Edith Cowan University, 2003. www.ecu.edu.au/GPPS/policy/hr/hr106.php 7. Hazardous Substances Policy: Edith Cowan University, 2001. www.ecu.edu.au/GPPS/policy/hr/hr116.php Collection of Sharp Human and Animal Collection of Sharp Human and Animal

Sharps Management and Injury Protocol Version 1.1 Document Owner: Chair, CHS OSH Committee

Last Updated: 1 December 2003

Ratified: 10 July 2000 EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION

Campus Medical Suites: Churchlands: 9273 8442 Joondalup: 6304 5618 Mount Lawley: 9370 6814 Hospitals: Royal Perth Hospital: (08) 9224 2244 Sir Charles Gardner Hospital: (08) 9346 3333 Fremantle Hospital: (08) 9431 3333 Bunbury Regional Hospital: (08) 9722 1000 Joondalup Health Campus: (08) 9400 9400

First Aid Officers, locations of first aid kits, and OS&H Representatives are listed on the Faculty's OS&H website: http://www.chs.ecu.edu.au/org/osh/ 6. References 1. Infection Control in the Health Care Setting: NHMRC/ANCA, 2003 2. Safe Handling of Sharps: Worksafe Australia, 2000. 3. Infection Control Manual: Royal Perth Hospital, 2003. 4. Standards Australia AS4187: Multiple-use Instrument Cleaning. 2003. 5. Infection Control Policy and Guidelines. Edith Cowan University, 2003. 6. Infection Control Manual, CHS Faculty, Edith Cowan University, 2003. 7. Contact Information Contact Person: Telephone: Email: Chair, Faculty of Computing, Health and Science Occupational Safety and Health Committee 5710 Facsimile: s.hinckley@ecu.edu.au

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Sharps Management and Injury Protocol Version 1.1 Document Owner: Chair, CHS OSH Committee

Last Updated: 1 December 2003