Health care workers scored a major victory late last month when the US Senate unanimously passed the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act.
The legislation mandates a revision in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's 1991 blood-borne pathogens standard to require the use of safety-engineered sharps devices in health care facilities. These devices have been designed to eliminate needles or to automatically retract, cover, or blunt them after use. The bill requires that exposure control plans include evaluations of safety devices used and that detailed logs of sharps injuries be kept.
Also, health care workers who provide direct patient care will have a say in which safer devices are used in the workplace. The US House of Representatives passed the bill earlier in October, and President Clinton has said he will sign it into law.
The Exposure Prevention Information Network and other sources indicate 600,000 to 800,000 needlesticks and . . . [Full Text of this Article]
