New figures show drop in waste sector fatalities
Provisional figures published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show fatalities in the waste sector has dropped below the yearly average. There were seven fatalities in the waste and […]
accident
Waste sector risks
Baling machines, shredders and the like present a significant risk of serious injury to workers in the waste sector. In Thailand, a worker using a baling machine to compress plastic […]
Stop Sticks campaign
The US CDC has updated its Stop Sticks campaign page. Though addressing sharps injury in the healthcare environment in particular the information presented addresses all such interests. It is worthy of […]
Medisort fire – Littlehampton
Medisort’s Littlehampton clinical waste disposal facility on fire. Fire engines from West Sussex Fire Service were dispatched to Medisort Fort Road, in Wick, Littlehampton, this morning to tackle the flames. UPDATE It is now […]
Hospital porters injured handling clinical waste
Four porters at Inverness’ Raigmore Hospital were injured carrying out work involving clinical waste, the GMB union has said. The union has submitted a collective grievance to NHS Highland about the […]
Catalogue of injuries for NHS Tayside staff
Health workers in Tayside are injured by patients in their care on a more than daily basis, figures have shown. Staff have been subjected to acts of aggressive behaviour or disclosed […]
US study sheds light on needlestick injuries at MRFs
The hazards of needles to MRF sorters are well recognized, but new research puts an estimate to just how many workers are injured by them each year. In a survey, […]
Man died 20 years after prick from infected needle
A man with a learning disability who contracted Hepatitis B from a dirty needle while gardening died due to the virus twenty years later. Dermot Redmond (53) from Walkinstown Road […]
Discarded needles won’t “jump out and bite you”
In a comment that perhaps rates as the most arrogant and ill-advised comment ever made regarding sharps safety, health ‘officials’ are urging Londoners to become more educated about discarded needles […]
A little bit of knowledge….
A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing. And so it is when the public are fobbed off with headline statements regarding safety that address only one small part […]
Down on the farm – needlestick is a real risk
Within agricultural production a good share of livestock producers perform routine veterinary work themselves. This includes administering vaccinations or treatments for common disease or sickness. A result of performing this […]
Adelaide mum petitions for secure sharps bin improvement
A mother whose daughter was cut by a used syringe when she put her hand on an open sharps deposit box says children remain at risk of contracting deadly diseases […]
How much do sharps injuries cost the NHS?
Healthcare workers are regularly faced with needlestick injuries (NSI) and while it might not be a standout issue, the financial implications across the NHS are damning. According to the NHS […]
Workers help woman find necklace buried in hospital waste
A New Jersey woman was thrilled when a group of sanitation workers found her special necklace, which had been accidentally thrown away when she went to hospital. Staff at […]
Needle find during annual beach clean-up
Horrified volunteers cleaning up Booterstown Reserve had a lucky escape at the weekend when one of them came across a used syringe at the south Dublin beauty spot. The dirty […]
NHS trust invited to review sharps regulations
An NHS Trust has been invited to take part in the Health and Safety Executive’s review of the sharps regulations, after it became one of four trusts out of 40 […]
Droitwich family wait for all-clear after 5-year olds sharps injury
A Droitwich mum and her son have been left with an anxious wait after her son cut his finger open on a used hypodermic needle which was in a bush […]
Waste firm objects to bags after needlestick
Needlestick or sharps injury is an obvious risk for ALL waste handlers, not only those who might handle clinical wastes. These injuries, together with other cuts and grazes, add to the […]
Sharps “lost” in hospital laundry
Sharps “lost” in hospital laundry had been a widespread and common problem, though these days we hear so little about it. Has it really got any better? Sharps dropped into […]
Dublin waste collector takes court action over needle injury
A driver and waste management worker claimed in the Circuit Civil Court yesterday that a new relationship he was in ended after he suffered a hypodermic needlestick injury to his hand. He alleges […]
Compensation – How much for a needlestick?
A jury has awarded a South Carolina woman more than $4.6 million after she was stuck by a hypodermic needle picked up in a Target parking lot. Court documents say […]
Sharps injury on Tenby beach
Discarded needles are always dangerous, but never more so when they are discarded into long grass or soft sand. They disappear from view, ready to stab those walking barefoot on […]
The impact of sharps injuries
A new video created by St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust deals with the impact of sharps injuries on the mental and occupational health of healthcare workers. This should […]
BMA sets out guidelines on needlestick injury
Guidance designed to protect doctors’ safety and patients’ rights following needlestick injuries has been published by the BMA. It provides information on the legal and ethical requirements faced by doctors […]
Posters Promoting Safe Practice – Needlesticks, Spillages
Some great posters available for download from Worcestershire Health Services NHS. Dealing with a variety of topics, including sharps bin use, needlestick protocol, spill management etc, they will be particularly […]
Anxious wait after 4-year-old had hypodermic needle in foot
A family has an anxious year ahead after their little girl stood on a hypodermic needle on a Gold Coast beach. A day enjoying the sun and surf at Currumbin […]
Dorking Good Samaritan Member injured by needle as he tried to save man who died in KFC
A member of the public performed CPR on the man who died in Dorking’s KFC on Monday, but he was injured by a needle as he did so. Surrey Police […]
Transforming medical waste into plastic lumber
Somerville, MA-based Triumvirate Environmental is turning medical and pharmaceutical waste into plastic lumber called “BestPlus.” According to Plastics News, the hazardous and medical waste management company acquired two companies in 2014: Medical Waste […]
NHS Tayside staff compensation exceeds £500,000 in five years
More than £500,000 has been paid out in compensation to NHS Tayside staff in the past five years as a result of accidents or injury. The incidents included almost 200 […]
Needlestick injuries: NHS trusts fail to comply with rules
NHS trusts are still not complying with “safer sharps” rules, research has argued, which is potentially putting NHS employees at unnecessary risk of needlestick injuries and blood-borne infections such as hepatitis and HIV. The study from […]