Occupational Safety in the Age of the Opioid Crisis: Needle Stick Injury among Baltimore Police

Abstract

At a time of resurgence in injection drug use and injection-attributable infections, needle stick injury (NSI) risk and its correlates among police remain understudied. In the context of occupational safety training, a convenience sample of 771 Baltimore city police officers responded to a self-administered survey. Domains included NSI experience, protective behaviors, and attitudes towards syringe exchange programs. Sixty officers (8%) reported lifetime NSI. Officers identifying as Latino or other race were almost three times more likely (aOR 2.58, 95% CI 1.12-5.96) to have experienced NSI compared to whites, after adjusting for potential confounders. Findings highlight disparate burdens of NSIs among officers of color, elevating risk of hepatitis, HIV, and trauma. Training, equipment, and other measures to improve occupational safety are critical to attracting and safeguarding police, especially minority officers.

Factors associated with extrajudicial arrest for syringe possession: results of a department-wide survey of municipal police in Tijuana, Mexico

“…Worldwide, law enforcement has negatively impacted PWID willingness to purchase and carry sterile syringes, avoidance of sharing syringes and shooting galleries, and utilization of syringe exchange programs [ 21 – 35 ]. Police confiscation of both used and unused syringes negatively influences the way PWID consume drugs [ 4 , 8 , 10 , 13 – 17 , 23 , 36 – 48 ]. In addition to the negative health outcomes of incarceration in terms of infectious disease transmission, overdose, and structural vulnerability risk [ 49 , 50 ], arrests for syringe possession constitute a human rights and global health concern that may cause immediate and downstream harm to PWID.…”

“…Police encounters with PWID involving syringes may also have a negative health impact on police officers [ 5 , 6 , 36 , 51 – 57 ]. In 1996, among 803 participants in the San Diego Police Department, 29.7% had at least one needle stick injury (NSI) ever, of which 27.7% had had two or more; only 39.2% sought medical attention for the NSI [ 51 ].…”

“…In 1996, among 803 participants in the San Diego Police Department, 29.7% had at least one needle stick injury (NSI) ever, of which 27.7% had had two or more; only 39.2% sought medical attention for the NSI [ 51 ]. In Baltimore, between 2010 and 2012, 8% of police officers reported lifetime prevalence of NSI [ 36 ] and 4% among officers in North Carolina between 2010 and 2012 [ 55 ]. Municipal police officers (MPOs) in Tijuana, Mexico, reported a higher prevalence of NSI in 2014 (14.3%) [ 56 ].…”

“…Police knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors towards PWID are potentially modifiable factors that are related to arrest for syringe possession. Previous research suggests these factors vary and may often be detrimental and antithetical to human rights [ 2 , 5 , 6 , 36 , 38 , 59 – 61 ]. Police officers in Togliatti (Russia) and Tijuana stopped and frisked PWID because they considered them potential crime suspects [ 2 , 62 ].…”

Health hazard evaluation report: evaluation of needlestick injuries and other exposures to bloodborne pathogens among officers in a city police department.

“…The authors found that younger age (20-29 years) and having 4-10 years of service were associated with a higher risk of transcutaneous exposures (needlestick injuries and human bites) [Pagane et al 1996]. More recent survey studies in North Carolina and Baltimore, Maryland have documented that 3.8%-8% of police officers reported ever having a needlestick injury and a rate of 36-58 needlestick injuries per 10,000 officer-years (or 3.6-5.8 needlestick injuries per 1,000 officer-years) [Cepeda et al 2017;Davis et al 2014]. …”