Standard, which requires employers to evaluate commercially avail-
able engineered sharps safety controls each year. "My biggest fear for
many of these facilities that aren't adopting safer technologies is
they're not evaluating them on an annual basis, which means they're
at risk of getting an OSHA citation should they be inspected," she
says.
Surgical administrators shouldn't feel helpless when it comes to
eliminating sharps injury risks. Instead, says Dr. Mitchell, they need
to leverage their injury data. "There is immediately actionable infor-
mation in their sharps injury log, which they're required to keep as
part of the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard," she says. "That
log is an incredibly useful resource. From it, they know what
devices are causing the injuries, during what procedures and to
whom. They can use that data to address specific actionable inter-
ventions.
Using surveillance data in a way that provides a safer working envi-
ronment for the entire surgical team is the best way to make real
change happen. Information from the sharps injury log that identifies
the injuries and the devices causing the injuries feeds into complying
with the standard, which also feeds into updating your facility's expo-
sure control plan.
"It's a terrific tool immediately available at your disposal," says Dr.
Mitchell. "You can chart your annual progress in reducing sharps
injuries as your surgical team adopts safer devices and experiences
improvements in reducing injuries over time."
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