The 12th annual international sharps injury prevention awareness month takes place in December.

The sharps injury awareness campaign is designed to provide information to healthcare workers, waste management workers, and others who are injured through needlestick and other sharps injuries each year. Hospitals, physician offices and others are invited to participate in providing educational articles, mini-posters with sharps safety information, etc. ISIPS is happy to place links on our website and in the newsletter to promote these activities. ISIPS will be joined by a variety of health organizations, journalists, and others in making the working public aware of the dangers of needlestick and other sharps injuries. The worldwide International Sharps Injury Prevention Awareness Month will start on the International AIDS Day, December 1, 2013. This is appropriate since needlesticks and other sharps injuries can result in the transmission of more than 20 different pathogens that have come from infected patients to workers via needles including HIV that can lead to AIDS.

These sharps or needlestick injuries don’t strike only healthcare practitioners – nurses, doctors etc – but many more including ancillary and support workers, laundry workers, and those working at all points along the disposal chain.

Though largely US oriented, the campaign is truly international, but rarely filers down to embrace safety awareness among ancillary and support and waste handlers.

How about out YOU take the opportunity for an awareness session, or a whole day, even a week or a month? To raise awareness of the risk and necessary safety precautions, including also more general safety and hygiene issues to prevent splash inoculation to mouth and eyes, or contamination of existing skin lesions. And to think again, in a few days or weeks time, or doing it all again, to maintain awareness, and to catch staff not included in the first cycle.

And, since it can never be enough, then do it all again!