The Department of Health has issued an Estates and Facilities Alert (ref EFA/2013/001) concerning ‘Sharps and sharps containers transported in staff vehicles‘.

It follows exposed or inadequately protected sharps left in healthcare staff vehicles which put occupants and service personnel at risk of needlestick injury. In particular, The Health and Safety Executive is concerned about needlestick injuries reported by a car leasing company which employs servicing and valeting personnel. The injuries were caused by used, loose and unprotected hypodermic needles (sharps) left in lease or ex-lease vehicles used by clinical staff.

Clearly, someone fouled up, big time. Perhaps more than one person, and more than one time, though detail of the incidents is not given. The Alert makes it clear that individuals at the fleet hire company(ies) have been injured and unused sharps don’t fall out of their wrappers unaided, so we can assume a problem with used sharps also. The scant detail in the Alert suggests at best a lack of care and an unprofessional approach to safety that should, perhaps, be the subject for disciplinary action.

Is this likely to be in cars used by community nursing staff, who represent the biggest fleet user group in the NHS? We have discussed this previously on the Clinical Waste Discussion Forum.  That possibility seems entirely plausible, but sits uncomfortably against the fuss generated by those same nurses who for a time poured vitriol on just about everyone while refusing to carry clinical wastes in “their” cars on their return from patient visits.