‘Sharps’ are needles, blades and other medical instruments used for carrying out healthcare procedures that can cause injury by pricking or cutting the skin. Sharps injuries are a well-known health risk within the health and social care sector. Sharps can become contaminated with an infected patient’s blood, and hence can transmit a range of diseases including Hepatitis B, C and the HIV virus. Due to this risk, sharps injuries can cause a great deal of distress to the many thousands of people who receive them each year.
What is the risk?
The main risk from a sharps injury is the potential exposure to infections and blood-borne viruses. The transmission of infection depends on various factors, including the victims’ natural immune system. Every year there are thousands of injuries caused by sharps, yet very few go on to cause serious illness.
Who is at risk?
Anyone who works in health and social care is at risk of injury from sharps simply due to the number of them used within the sector. This includes those who directly handle them, but also those who could be inadvertently put at risk when sharps are not stored or disposed of properly.
How can risks be minimised?
By ensuring that suitable policies are in place for the usage, storage and disposal of sharps, the risk of injury can be minimised. Training of personnel as to how to use sharps can be influential in reducing incidents, as well as ensuring that they are disposed of safely and correctly.
What if I have been injured?
If you have been injured by sharps, the HSE provides the following advice:
- Encourage the wound to gently bleed, ideally holding it under running water
- Wash the wound using running water and plenty of soap
- Don’t scrub the wound whilst you are washing it
- Don’t suck the wound
- Dry the wound and cover it with a waterproof plaster or dressing
- Seek urgent medical advice (for example from your Occupational Health Service) as effective prophylaxis (medicines to help fight infection) are available
- Report the injury to your employer.
If you have been injured it’s possible you could be entitled to make a claim for compensation. Our solicitors have years of experience in dealing with these kinds of medical negligence claims, so contact us today to find out how we can help.