Safer needles work!
Safer needles that are mandated by EU Directive 2010/32/EU really make a difference. Sharps injuries are reduced, though there is now anecdotal evidence that the implementation of a new safety engineered needle […]
needle disposal
Recycling operation halted by needle finds
A Fife recycling plant was brought to a standstill when a sharps bin was found on the picking line. Of course, that should not happen, and those involved are right to […]
Healthcare and waste security
Several UK hospitals have been found to breach drug storage security requirements and no doubt after this expose all but the most laissez faire hospital managers will be checking on their […]
Servicing sharps disposal bins
Sharps bins had previously been found only in healthcare premises but are now ubiquitous. Many gymnasia and sports stadiums now place a sharps bin in the male toilets – though vehemently deny any suggestion […]
The cost of sharps injury
The cost of a sharps injury can be great – at worst, transmission of a life-ending viral infection. However, it is important to look more generally at the cost of […]
Backstreet tattoos
Concern in Hartlepool about several backstreet tattooists operating there. “Several investigations have recently been carried out in Hartlepool into unregistered tattoo and piercing businesses operating out of private homes. “Those […]
Sharps injury prevention for hospital workers
A potentially interesting paper published recently in the International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics reports the incidence of sharps injuries in hospital staff in Turkey. Though the journal is […]
Safe sharps disposal, or not?
“Two bin men have been seriously injured by broken glass discarded in the rubbish. “One suffered a one-and-a-half inch gash to his arm from a broken bottle sticking out of […]
Dental waste and hygiene management
Dental hygiene and infection prevention has been a major issue in recent UK practise but the management of clinical and sharps waste from dental surgeries has never really hit the […]
Re-use of needles
The importance of a robust and effective disposal infrastructure operating adequate regulatory oversight at every stage is exemplified by news from China where over 200 individuals have acqured Hepatitis C […]
Saving money
Difficult financial times sometimes demand difficult decisions to be made in order to save money. As the recession bites, the number of examples will become more but for now it […]
A reluctant win
Some years ago, when safety sharps were first brought to the market, I had a wager with a close friend. This predicted that, after some settling in time when users get […]
Compensation paid to council staff – needlesticks
The consequences of a sharps injury can be grave. Though the incidence of seroconversion is fortunately low there are still many transmission events of HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C, […]
Managing drug abuse and associated litter – Australia
Managing IV drug abuse and its associated drug litter is an almost impossible task. Requiring the involvement of many different agencies, the solutions are impossible to identify and in general […]
Sharps bins installed at Occupy London for used hypodermic needles
The City of London Corporation has said that sharp bins have been put in place at the St Paul’s protest camp site after police found drug paraphernalia, including needles, littered […]
Needle-free vaccinations
The use of syringes for vaccination is set to decline, affecting also the volume of sharps waste as work continues on alternate delivery systems for common vaccines. Some oral products […]
New FDA sharps advice portal
The US FDA has launched a new web portal offering advice and guidance on the safe disposal of sharps. http://www.fda.gov/safesharpsdisposal The site is aimed at small producers – diabetics, small clinics […]
Drug & needle takeback
The Clinical Waste Discussion Forum generally supports the US concept of community collections of unwanted pharmaceuticals and related hazardous household wastes and, unique to US where no better system exists, […]
Sharps Terminator
They seem to have been around for years now, sharps destruction devices that snip, snap or burn off the metal sharp from plastic needle hub to provide alternate sharps disposal […]
Illicit salvage for re-use
Reduce, reuse, recycle. It seems sensible but in many countries the reality is of illicit salvage of items from clinical wastes followed by repackaging (of sorts) and reuse, all without […]
Medical waste contaminating blue bins
Thurrock council uses blue bins for domestic recyclacbles. They have been complaining that “some residents are costing it money buy throwing medical waste in their blue bins” – never mind […]
Needles threaten recycling employees
The appearance of used needles in wastes intended for recycling seems to be remarkably common. Why this is so is difficult to define but in the absence of an effective disposal […]
Oxford drug litter
Just beyond sight of the academic and commercial heart of Oxford, drug abuse has come very dramatically to the surface manifest by many used syringes and needles being discarded under a […]
Compensation for sharps injury
The amount of compensation awarded for a sharps injury varies widely. It seems to make some, but not much, difference if the courts get involved compared with the scale of […]
Infection following sharps injury
There is a foolhardy and sadly widely held opinion that only the three bloodborne viruses – HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C – can be transmitted by sharps injury. That is not […]
Single use vs reusable sharps containers
In a carefully managed PR release, information of a presentation given at a Chicago environmental meeting reports a claim of reduced CO2 emission and lowered environmental impact from reusable sharps disposal […]
How not to pick up discarded syringes and needles
Sussex County (US) beaches are still littered with wastes including clinical waste. Though most reports assume that syringes and needles are washed ashore with on the tide there is little evidence […]
Prison needle exchange scheme?
There is no doubt that in US and UK prisons, needles are a widespread problem and major health risk. The risk of sharps injury is high since needles are not […]
More clinical waste on US beaches
It seems to be a particular affliction for American beaches, that so often they suffer from clinical and related wastes washed up on the tide. This time it’s Slaughter Beach […]
Dentist in trouble for sharps disposal violation
A Massachusetts dentist is being sued by the U.S. Department of Labor for allegedly firing an employee for raising concerns about needlestick hazards and filing a health hazard complaint with […]