NeedleSmart advertising claims
NeedleSmart claims that it is helping to reduce clinical waste in the UK. “According to a statement, British smart MedTech company, NeedleSmart, is at the forefront of helping the British […]
needle
Needlesmart Partnership aims to reduce 100,000 needlestick injuries to NHS employees
In a 2003 survey, it was reported that a staggering 94 per cent of practising surgeons in the UK have either been personally affected by a needlestick injury (NSI) or […]
Hundreds of discarded hypodermic needles reported across Dundee and Angus
Hundreds of used needles are being found by shocked locals in Dundee and Angus every year as drug-related anti-social behaviour leaves residents living in fear. Data shows around 95% of the […]
Cumbria Crack reports major sharps bin dumping
An investigation has been launched following the discovery of clinical waste dumped on a roadside near Kendal. A member of the public reported seeing a number of black bin bags that […]
HIV outbreak, Pakistan, tops 1,100 cases
Nearly 900 children under 12 are among 1112 cases of HIV infection now confirmed in an outbreak linked to a paediatrician in Ratodero, Pakistan, who reused syringes and IV drips. […]
Clinical waste and needles dumped along Humber
A concerned lady says she is disgusted after seeing the amount of waste dumped along the Humber, which included “used tattoo needles”. She took the shocking images (below), which show […]
Sharps and Overdose Awareness training
A valuable Sharps and Overdose Awareness training session coming up, Manchester on 22 July. And it’s free! About this Event What is a sharp and what injuries can they cause? The […]
Used needles ‘overflowing onto floor’ in public toilet
Secure sharps bins in public and other toilets have become rather common in the last 5-10 years, though there is still much indignation and complaint from the moral majority who […]
Fenland Council set to operate a free sharps boxes collection service
After the barrage of complaints and very real safety implications following Fenland Council decision to halt clinical waste collections due to a ‘lack of funding’ they now look set to operate […]
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 […]
NHS pays compensation to 1,200 staff after needlestick
More than 1,200 NHS staff have won compensation after being injured by needles potentially infected with HIV or hepatitis over the past six years. Official figures reveal an “unacceptable” picture […]
Used needles found dumped in Cornish towns
A warning has gone out to parents after a used needles were found dumped in two Cornish towns. One was found on the path on Tower Road in Newquay on […]
Girl finds dirty needles in Worthing park
A four-year-old girl stumbled across a pile of syringes, vials and other drug paraphernalia while playing hide and seek in Tarring Park. Her Mum said she was playing with her […]
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, […]
Fenland to impose charges to patients for domestic sharps collections
As we noted previously, it is now confirmed that Fenland District Council WILL bill patients directly for the collection of sharps containers from domestic premises. We reported on news reports […]
Mum must pay to dispose of her 12-year-old’s diabetic needles
A Mum is reported to be “utterly shocked” after being told she will have to pay to dispose of her 12-year-old diabetic daughter’s needles, and quite rightly so. A council […]
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 […]
NHS buys mobile needle exchange for addicts amid HIV ‘outbreak’
The NHS has bought a mobile needle exchange for heroin addicts to use in a bid to halt an “uncontained HIV outbreak” in Scotland’s largest city. It is estimated that […]
Devon nurse took used syringe from sharps bin – thought it was OK!
A staff nurse at North Devon District Hospital thought it was OK to take a used syringe out of a sharps bin and claimed she didn’t know that it was […]
Cuts in Carmarthenshire services?
The BBC are today reporting a range of Local Authority cuts in Carmarthenshire. Hitting the headline are cuts to school crossing patrols that will go ahead despite fears children’s safety will […]
Sharps waste dumped in Totnes
Sharps boxes containing used hypodermic needles are being found dumped in bushes around an area of a supermarket car park used by thousands of shoppers. Over the last few months, […]
Sheath removal for hypodermic needles – right or wrong?
It is now universal policy in the UK, Europe, US and in many other countries to dispose used needles WITHOUT removing the sheath, or if the needle is already exposed, […]
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 […]
BD launches safety engineered devices campaign, India
To encourage the usage of safety engineered devices, BD is organizing a ‘Santa Says…Stay Sharp Be Safe’ pan India campaign. Aligned with its commitment towards safety of healthcare workers, the […]
Clinical waste disposal in India – how bad can they get?
CHANDIGARH: A task of unclogging drains belched out hundreds of used syringes at Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, on Saturday, indicating that something was wrong in the disposal […]
what’s happening to all of the ‘vet meds’?
A record number of farmers – 525 in total – travelled to Listowel, Co. Kerry, with their hazardous waste last Saturday (November 4). Speaking to AgriLand, the EPA’s Shane Colgan stated […]
FDA Proposes reclassification of Needle Destruction Devices
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday proposed reclassifying the needle destruction device, renamed as “sharps needle destruction device,” from a Class III device into Class II (special controls), […]
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 […]
Infant’s needlestick after teen left needle in shop
A 14-year-old boy has been charged after two children were pricked by a used syringe in the delicatessen section of a supermarket. Two children, including an infant boy, were pricked […]
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 […]