Needle Stick Safety

Hospital Leader to OSHA: Improve Now!

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 05:23:45 +0000

GENE O’CONNELL – RN, MS Past Chair of National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems, Past CEO of San Francisco General Hospital. July 14, 2010 Mr. Jordan Barab Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor Occupational Safety and Health U.S. Department of Labor 200 Constitution Avenue Washington, D.C. 20210 RE: Bloodborne Pathogen Standard Review, July 2010 [...]

“Knowing Needle Position Is Essential to Safety”

admin — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:29:46 +0000

Needlestick injuries can occur at any time during the use or disposal of a needle or sharp device. While many injuries occur after device use and during disposal, up to 40 percent of injuries occur during use. During use injuries can be some of the most difficult to prevent. Most needlestick safety devices are designed to protect the sharp either before or after use; however a needle while in use is necessarily unprotected.

Defining Passive in Safety-Engineered Medical Devices: A National Overview

admin — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:07:22 +0000

AMBER HOGAN MITCHELL – MPH, DrPH
Senior industrial hygienist at the U.S. Department of Labor OSHA specializing in national regulatory enforcement issues. OSHA National Bloodborne Pathogens Coordinator.
Copyright 2009 by Virgo Publishing.
http://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/

Occupational exposure to sharps contaminated with bloodborne pathogens continues to be an occupational health and safety concern among workers providing patient care. Sharps injuries have been substantially reduced in acute-care settings through increased awareness, thorough training, and technological advancement of safety engineered needles on syringes, blood collection devices, IV insertion sets and lancets. Within these families of devices, there have been multiple generations of safety designs that require the user to actively slide a sheath, flip a clip, advance a plunger, or add an extra aggressive push. Today, there are very few safety-engineered medical devices that require no active step to make a device safer during use, after use and prior to disposal. This brief report is an analysis of current national guidance for passivity in safety engineered medical devices.

Annette M. Barry – RN, BS, CCRP.

admin — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:09:13 +0000

As a Nurse for 35 years I feel great pride to be a part of something so wondrous and ever changing as the medical field. The speed with which our medical science innovations have developed during my nursing career is extraordinary! It has also been wonderful to participate in the attitude changes that have taken [...]

Nurses’ Champion Calls on Congress To Update OSHA Regs

admin — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 01:01:05 +0000

Dear Congressman Pallone, I commend Senator Waxman’s Sub-committee hearings on Medical Devices on June 18, 2009 as a critical component of healthcare reform to bring before Congress issues of regulatory oversight to ensure safe, cost effective medical devices that provide better healthcare. Nowhere in the transcript of testimonies by the four prominent witnesses on June 18, 2009 was there mention of the historic U.S. Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act 2000. Internationally, this uniquely American legislation is the foundation for parliamentary discussions of healthcare reform around the world. The Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act is held as the highest standard of humanistic and wisdom-filled governance to ensure patient and healthcare safety. Furthermore, the Act addresses the enormous hidden costs of needlestick injuries to society. Dr. William Maisel stated the case succinctly that healthcare reform in America would improve if we only implement current laws.