Secure Waste provides expert tips for choosing sharps containers for your healthcare practice and dental office. Sharps containers ensure healthcare professionals’ and patients’ safety and well-being. Crafted from top-quality, puncture-resistant materials, these containers offer essential protection in clinical settings.
This Secure Waste blog will explore essential factors to consider when selecting the safest sharps container for your facility. We aim to provide a thoughtful, modern solution beyond traditional practices, ensuring a safer environment for all!
A bold biohazard logo makes them easily identifiable, separating them from other disposal options. Available in various sizes, colors, and lid designs, these containers are designed to cater to the unique requirements of different healthcare environments.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 created the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) devoted to promoting workplace safety.
NIOSH actively works to uncover the causes of work-related illnesses and injuries, assess potential hazards presented by new technologies and practices, and develop effective strategies to mitigate risks while advocating for strong occupational safety standards.
One of the most pressing concerns in healthcare is occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens, such as the hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV and HCV) and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Tragically, workers face substantial risks, particularly from accidental needlestick injuries.
The United States witnesses around 800,000 needlestick injuries in hospitals each year—an alarming statistic revealing an injury every 10 seconds! Research shows that many of these injuries occur during disposal, highlighting the need for caution and appropriate measures during sharps disposal.
As the volume of medical waste, particularly sharps waste, continues to rise, the demand for effective healthcare waste management grows more critical. To safeguard healthcare settings, all sharps waste that has interacted with blood or bodily fluids must be discarded in approved sharps containers.
It’s a common myth that sharps containers are only for syringes; however, “sharps” encompasses any object with the potential to puncture or cut the skin. This includes broken capillary tubes, culture slides, disposable scalpels and blades, hypodermic needles, and lancets.
