‘Safer, greener’ sharps management examined

It's no secret that needlestick injuries (NSI) represent a significant risk to all healthcare setting staff — from clinicians to cleaners. Leaders know that robust mitigation strategies are an essential and mandatory way to protect people from harm, and organisations from avoidable costs. However, it's also important to recognise that some of these strategies can have knock-on effects of their own. Limited capacity sharps containers made from a low percentage of recycled plastic, for example, can be a significant drain on sustainability efforts, at a time when healthcare settings across the country are striving to meet their Net Zero commitments.

The importance of NSI risk mitigation, from both a human and business perspective, should not be overstated. Needlestick injuries are a relatively high-risk incident, and Estates managers will be well aware of the need to mitigate risk where possible. Meanwhile, innovation within this space has created new disposal solutions which, when combined with creating a culture of sustainability, can help hospitals, clinics, and surgeries, build safer policies that do not cost the Earth.

Everyone who may come into contact with sharps during the course of their duties — from healthcare professionals to cleaning staff and waste handlers, is at risk of an NSI. These injuries, defined as an accidental, skin-penetrating stab wound from a needle containing another person's blood or bodily fluid, are extremely common.¹ Globally, an estimated two million occupational NSIs occur every year,² with 40,000 being recorded across the UK medical profession alone.³ The true number, however, is thought to be much higher, as many incidents are never reported.