Sharps & Environmental Safety

Sharps

Syringes, needles, blades, lancets, and other sharp items can puncture your skin and expose you to
blood-borne pathogens. The risk of infection is very low, but you must know how to properly handle sharps to protect yourself and others.

Know Your Potential Exposure

Be aware of where you might find needles or other sharps in your workplace. For example, if you support a client who takes insulin injections, check for needles before reaching into a pile of laundry.

Be aware of where you might find needles or other sharps in your workplace. For example, if you support a client who takes insulin injections, check for needles before reaching into a pile of laundry.

Sharps Safety Devices

Many sharps come with built-in safety devices such as retractable needles or plastic caps or sheaths. If your workplace uses these items, ask your employer to show you how they work so that you can handle them safely. One important sharps safety device is a sharps disposal container. These are strong plastic containers that cannot be punctured by a needle. Ask your employer and make sure you know where these containers are located in your workplace.

Handling Needles Safely

The following guidelines will help to prevent accidental needle sticks.

• Do not bend, recap, or attempt to remove the needles from a syringe
• Do not shear or break needles
• Place used sharps immediately in the appropriate containers.

Picking up Discarded Syringes

When you find a discarded syringe, protect yourself and dispose of it properly by following these steps:

1. Put on puncture-resistant gloves.
2. Do not touch the syringe with your hands.
3. Use tongs or pliers to pick up the syringe.
4. Put the syringe into a sharps disposal container needle-first.
5. Remove your gloves and discard them in a plastic trash bag.
6. Wash your hands or use alcohol-based hand rub.

Disposing of a Sharps Safety Container

Sharps safety containers should be disposed of when the container is ¾ full. Never over-fill a sharps container. Each county in Washington State has regulations about how to dispose of a sharps safety container. Check with your employer or local Health Department if you are unsure.

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Cleaning and Disinfecting The Environment

Clean and disinfect any surface contaminated with body fluids or blood immediately. Always wear gloves when cleaning contaminated surfaces. Use paper towels to clean up. Dispose of contaminated materials properly. Then use an approved disinfectant to kill any germs that may have stayed on the surface. Items such as used sheets, dirty dishes, and worn clothes, as well as areas like bedrooms and bathrooms, need routine cleaning and disinfection.

General Cleaning and Disinfecting Guidelines:

Cleaning and disinfecting are not the same. Cleaning with soap, water, and scrubbing removes dirt and some germs. Disinfecting with a bleach solution or a commercial household cleaning solution kills additional germs. There are 2 steps to cleaning and disinfecting any surface:

1. Clean and scrub the surface with soap and water.
2. Disinfect the area with a bleach solution or a commercial household cleaning solution.

Follow the directions on the bleach bottle for preparing a diluted bleach solution. If your bottle does not have directions, you can make a bleach solution by mixing 5 tablespoons (1/3 cup) of bleach per gallon of room-temperature water.

See Disinfecting and Sanitizing with Bleach on page 327 and Household Cleaning and Disinfection on page 234 for more information.

Special Laundry Procedures

Although the risk of exposure from soiled laundry is very small, treat laundry soiled with body fluids or blood as contaminated. It is best to not mix one client’s soiled laundry together with another client’s soiled laundry in order to minimize spreading of germs. When handling soiled laundry:

• Wear gloves.
• Put contaminated items in a leakproof, plastic bag or covered hamper until ready to wash.
• Handle as little as possible and do not shake items out.
• Avoid holding soiled items against your clothing.
• Wash items with a detergent and/or bleach according to the manufacturer’s directions.
• Keep soiled and clean linen separate.
• Wash your hands after you are done.

Proper Disposal of Contaminated Waste

Contaminated waste needs to be disposed of safely. Talk to your supervisor and make sure you know how to dispose of contaminated waste correctly in your workplace.