infection control: Relation of new disposal unit to risk of needle puncture injuries

An Outbreak of Needlestick Injuries in Hospital Employees Due to Needles Piercing Infectious Waste Containers

“…This device was designed at UVA in 1972 to meet regulatory standards for disposal of infectious waste, including contaminated sharps, thereby eliminating the need for separation of sharps from other infectious waste. 16 The original CMC had two components: (1) a dense, corrugated fiberboard outer shell with labeling and (2) a red 0.4 mil polyethylene bag inside the shell. Since its original development, the CMC always has met the Virginia regulatory standard for a final transport container for infectious waste with a single plastic bag inside the equivalent of a double-wall corrugated box that can withstand an American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) 275-lb drop weight test.…”

The Society for Applied Bacteriology

“…We examined the reports of 12 surveys, nine from the US (Osterman 1975;Reed e l al. 1980;McCormick & Maki 1981;Reuler & Campbell 1982;Hamory 1983;Ruben et al 1983;Jacobson et al 1983;Neuberger et al 1984;Dandoy & Kirkman-Liff 1984) and three from England (Anon.…”

“…The resheathing of needles is a contentious point. Several investigators (Osterman 1975;McCormick & Maki 1981;Anon. 1982;Wormser et al 1984;Weiss et al 1985;Patterson et al 1985;McCray et a!.…”

“…Needle cutters are less popular in Britain than in some other countries and are discouraged in the US (CDC 1986). Parker (1981) and Brinley et al (1982) found that when needles used for venepuncture are cut some blood is splattered. This indicates that needle cutters may generate infection hazards.…”

Needle-Stick Injuries

“…The largest group of hospital employees suffering needle-stick injuries are those in nursing services, the largest single employee group in hospitals (American Nurses' Association, 1984). Of that group, registered nurses have the highest incidence of needle sticks and puncture wounds since they administer virtually all injections and intravenous therapy (Osterman, 1975). Hospitals, perhaps by virtue of their function of supplying health care to patients, have been considered, in the past, clean and safe places in which to work.…”