All corners of the healthcare sector should be ready for the introduction of safety sharps, as mandated under Council Directive 2010/32/EU. Indeed, we might hope that as many as possible, if not all, have moved ahead of the curve and completed this implementation though sadly this is certainly not the case.

News from several colleagues already using safety sharps – different types in different circumstances – is confirming predictions made on the Clinical Waste Discussion Forum last year, that the volume of waste will increase substantially.

So far, experience is suggesting an increase in waste volumes of around 20-45%. That’s a hell of a lot of extra sharps bins to be provided, stored, distributed, transported and disposed.

Are you ready for that? Will your supply chain and disposal contract perform adequately? Have you allocated funds? Have you found the extra space and staff? Those tied to contracts for reusable sharps containers should concern themselves with the ability of their contractor to cope with a sudden uplift in waste volumes. For all, working together with their suppliers and contractors is an essential requirement in order to ensure a smooth transition.

The additional costs of disposal will represent money well spent if it contributes to reduction in sharps injury. However, so far it seems that the additional costs associated with extra sharps container supply and increased expenditure in disposal seems to have been overlooked by some. It seems to have come as a nasty shock.