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Apollo Pro-Shield Safety Insulin Pen Needle

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Apollo Safer Sharps Products

Sharps Safety 

Sharps safety is a very important issue affecting a wide range of people and places, from medical professionals in a healthcare setting, to family carers in their own homes. Anyone who directly handle sharps are obviously at risk of needle stick injuries, but inappropriate handling of sharps can place others at risk of injuries.

What are sharps & needle stick injuries? 

Sharps are classed as needles, blades and other medical equipment that cuts or pierces the skin. Sharps & needle stick injuries occur when an medical device penetrates the skin. If the medical device is contaminated with bodily fluids such as blood, a risk of infection transmission exists.

Main Causes

  • Non-compliance with standard infection control precautions

  • Inadequate disposal of clinical waste

  • Overfull sharps bins

  • Not using safer sharps

  • Not using Personal Protective equipment

The Risks

The main risks from a sharp injury is an exposure to a blood borne virus. These include:

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  • Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

  • Hepatitis B Virus (HBV)

  • Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)

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Sharps injuries also carry the risk of transmitting infectious agents. These include:

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  • Human T-Lymphotropic retroviruses (HTLV I & II)

  • Hepatitis D virus (HDV or delta agent, which is activated in the presence of HBV) hepatitis G virus (GB virus or GBV-C)

  • Cytomegalovirus (CMV)

  • Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)

  • Parvovirus B19

  • Transfusion transmitted virus (TTV)

  • West Nile virus (WNV)

  • Malarial parasites

  • Prion agents, such as those associated with transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE)

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The risk on contracting an infection depends on numerous factors including the depth of the injury and how infectious the bodily fluids are on the sharp that has caused the injury. Of the numerous amounts of sharps injuries each year, only a small fraction cause infections that develop into a serious illness. However, the effects of the injury can cause severe anxiety around the potential consequences from the injury.

Prevention is better than cure!

Everybody has a part to play in injury prevention from sharps. Medical professionals have a duty of care to protect themselves and others around the, while employers are responsible for assessing and reducing the risk.

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The best way to prevent sharps injuries is to reduce the use of hazardous medical devices to only when it is absolutely necessary. When you can not prevent the use of sharps, controlling the exposure of them is an important measure to take. These controls include:

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  • Safe storage

  • Safe disposal

  • Use of safety-engineered medical devices

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Putting in these simple controls can greatly reduce the risk of sharps & needle stick injuries.

Disposal

All sharps, (including needles, syringes, broken clinical glass, blades, etc) must be disposed of into an approved and appropriate sharps disposal unit immediately after use.

  • Always ensure you have a sharps disposal unit immediately to hand; never carry unsheathed sharps.

  • Do not re-sheath sharps  

  • Do not detach needles - except when necessary

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Sharps disposal units should be removed when three-quarters full or monthly, whichever comes first.

  • Do not over fill the sharps disposal unit.

  • There should be no protruding items and containers should never be filled above the fill line

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Sharps boxes should be kept above floor level, out of the reach of children, preferably attached to a wall. The sharps disposal unit should be observable so far as is reasonably practicable and kept secure to prevent accidental or malicious access.

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When a sharps container is ready for disposal, the closure must be made permanent with any required labeling completed.

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Medical settings will have their own procedures for the removal of sharps containers but patients at home will have to use the correct service within their area for the safe disposal of their sharps containers. Most local councils can provide this service, whilst some pharmacies and GP Surgeries will also accept their patients sharps containers for safe disposal.

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You should always follow the advice and procedures given to you by your employer or healthcare provider.

First aid for a needle stick injury

If you pierce your skin with a used needle:

  • gently squeeze the wound to encourage it to bleed (ideally while holding it under running water)

  • wash the wound using running water and plenty of soap

  • do not scrub or suck the wound

  • dry the wound and cover it with a waterproof plaster or dressing

Get urgent medical advice from NHS 111 online, calling 111, or going to your nearest A&E. You may need treatment to reduce the risk of getting an infection.

If you injure yourself at work, contact your employer's occupational health service.

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