OSACH: Planning Guide to the Implementation of Safety Engineered Medical Sharps

INTRODUCTION TO THE PLANNING GUIDE

This resource is intended to guide organizations in their program implementation of safety engineered medical sharps. It provides information to assist in the development of an action plan and implementation strategy. Appendix A provides a summary table of all key elements. By completing this table as you move through the document, you will develop an action plan.

Case Reports With any sharps related injury, or blood and body fluid exposure, there is a risk of blood borne pathogen transmission. While some exposures have resulted in tragic outcomes most do not. They can however have a significant impact on the life of those involved. Through-out this document we have included case reports based on health care worker sharps injuries. We hope these serve to highlight some of the incidents that occur all too often. As you read these reports imagine the discomfort and uncertainty that these workers faced as a result of their sharps related injuries. Although the workers in our stories were not found to have acquired an infection from their injuries, consider the upset and stress through the follow-up period while waiting to learn the final outcome of the injury. And it’s not just the worker; the fear and anxiety also impacts their family and intimate partners. These relationships share the worry until the injury’s final outcome is known. The emotional toll on the injured worker, their family and loved ones, cannot be measured in monetary costs.

A participative approach in all stages of program planning and implementation is recommended. Management and staff of relevant services and the joint health and safety committee (JHSC) should be involved.

This guide follows five steps in the implementation process. It is recommended that other resources be reviewed during the implementation. A list of other resources appears in the references section at the end of this guide.

Each section is subdivided into key elements and includes:

• Element Statement (italics and numbered, e.g., 1.1)
• Suggestions for Implementation

Standards or Rationale are provided following each major section.

This guide can be used by any organization that uses medical sharps. Some organizations may have to modify some elements of this guide depending on size and the number of medical sharps in use. Where that is the case, it is the ideas expressed in each step or element that are important, not the specifics of the text itself.

This document cites current Ontario statutes and regulations at the time of publication. We recommend that the user obtain a copy of the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and the Health Care and Residential Facilities Regulation (HCRFR).