Sharps waste injuries are some of the most common and also most dangerous ones a health care industry worker can experience. The danger here lies not only in the physical injury itself, but also in the fact that a used needle or scalpel may contain infectious materials.

The best way to be on the safe side when it comes to needle sticks and other sharps related injuries is by employing a proper medical waste disposal for them.

EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), OSHA (Occupational Health and Safety Administration) and CDC (Center for Disease Control) all urge facilities producing medical waste, especially sharps waste to have strict medical waste management Boyton Beach procedures in place for sanitizing bio-hazardous waste spills (sharps included), and to use hospital-grade disinfectants. Additionally, hospitals also need to employ correct medical waste disposal operations for wastes like sharps.

• Wear PPE
Before handling any kind of bio-hazardous waste, including sharps, you need to be protected with the appropriate PPE (personal protective equipment). It is necessary during medical waste disposal or any kind of handling medical waste to keep your skin safe from it. By wearing PPE, you prevent different pathogens in medical waste to come in contact with your skin and cause an infection. This is of particular concern if you have a wound, cut or a scar. Most PPE suits cover the person from head to toe and have respirator masks, but in the event of disposing of sharps, it is usually enough to wear puncture resistant rubber gloves, eye protection goggles, gown and a simple face mask. Also, wearing long sleeves and pants is mandatory when handling sharps waste.

• Secure the area where the spill occurred
A sharps spill is a potential hazard to anyone. For instance, if it happens in a hallway, that area has to be closed for traffic immediately in order to prevent someone simply walking by and stepping on it, thus infecting himself or herself. Put appropriate sign posts for everyone to see in whichever direction tragic may come. For example, if the spill happened in a hallway, you will need to close both ends, while if it occurred in a room, it is usually enough to lock the door until the threat is contained.

• Purchase adequate sharps disposal containers and cleaning equipment
Once you have appropriately protected yourself with PPE and secured the area, it is time to get some containers in which you will put sharps waste and cleaning equipment. Make sure that the cleaning equipment you are using is either cleanable itself or disposable. Also, use only durable sharps containers that do not leak and are resistant to piercing for sharps disposal.

• Pick up sharps with a dustpan and broom or use tongs
Never pick sharps waste with your hands, even if you are wearing gloves. Instead, use a broom and dustpan if the spill happened on the floor and tongs for any other flat surfaces (like tables, shelves, etc). Also, decontaminating the spill while the sharps refuse is still present is completely pointless, so first remove the sharps and then decontaminate the area. Once you have picked up sharps, place them in a sharps container.

• Use adequate disinfectants and decontamination agents
Make sure that you use only hospital-grade liquid disinfectants and adequate decontamination agents to clean and sanitize the spill and inactivate the hazardous agent.

• Label all waste disposal receptacles
Make sure that you have all bio-hazard waste disposal containers and other receptacles adequately labeled.