Percutaneous Sharp Injuries

Percutaneous sharp injuries can change a person’s life when staff are not educated properly on a new safety device.

Accrediting bodies (e.g, The Joint Commission, the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care) and regulatory organizations (e.g, OSHA, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) may survey for sharps safety during visits to health care facilities. Key points in a survey could include review of the exposure control plan, which must be in compliance with the federal legislation and should meet the criteria established in the Needle Stick Safety and Prevention Act which was signed into law in 2001. Surveyors also may look to ensure that sharps containers are located close to the point of use and glove boxes and personal protective equipment (PPE) are placed in convenient locations.

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