Having studiously ignored sharps injury for years, resisting all attempts to make sharps injury a mandatory reporting event under RIDDOR and so prompt investigation of ‘hot spots’ of poor sharps management, of sharps injury in the waste and disposal sector, of inadequate post-injury care and accident follow-up, and thereby failing to support the collection of national statistics that could illuminate ways to safer sharps use and disposal, HSE now have now sat up to ‘take the lead’ on sharps injury as a preventable, avoidable, and FFI-chargeable H&S event.

Pushed by EU regulations under Council Directive 2010/32/EU, HSE have now ‘taken ownership’ of sharps injuries with The Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations that came into force on 11 May 2013.

To assist, they have brought together some information on a single page at http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2013/hse-sharps-regulations.htm. This includes links to the legislation itself, and to two pamphlets that provide Guidance for Employers and Employees and more general guidance. some basic do’s and dont’s,  about sharps injuries.