“Unison, the UK’s largest union, today called on the Government to end the horror caused to NHS nurses, midwives, healthcare assistants and other health workers by sharps injuries.

According to estimates from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), there are 85,000 sharps injuries across the NHS in the UK every year. The union says that many thousands of workers could be saved from the fear and misery of such injuries by the introduction of readily available safer needles.

Unison was host of the European Bio-safety Summit 2012 (1 June) in partnership with the RCN and the European Bio-safety Network, where health representatives from across Europe are meeting to discuss the progress and implementation of an EU Directive, designed to cut sharps injuries across the union.

http://www.unison.org.uk/asppresspack/pressrelease_view.asp?id=2714

I hope that the unions, Unison, RCN and others, together with HSE, will be equally vociferous in three other aspects:

• that sharps injuries shall be specified for mandatory reporting under RIDDOR,
• that fully automatic safety needles will be given to IV drug users to reduce the sharing and re-use of needles and to reduce the dangers associated with discarded drug paraphernalia, and
• that there will be comprehensive investigations, review and appropriate corrective actions taken, including where appropriate consideration of prosecution under H&S law, for breaches in sharps safety