Sharps Safety

A brief guide to sharps safety below:

Sharps Safety Guide 

For a more detailed e-learning package, please use the link below to access the Sharps Injuries e-learning session on the e-Learning for Healthcare site. 

e-LfH Sharps Injuries 

Please note that if you don't already have an account, you'll need to create one before you can access this. Health Care Students are eligible to setup a free account with e-LfH. For more information about registering for e-LfH please click here.

Re-sheathing of Needles

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE RE-SHEATHING OF NEEDLES IS NOT ACCEPTABLE PRACTICE

There are specific situations however in which the health and safety executive have deemed this practice acceptable. This is when a none detachable needle fixed to a syringe (e.g. an insulin syringe) has been used to draw up medication from a vial but the needle has not entered the patient's body (the needle is fixed to the syringe and therefore cannot be removed and a new giving needle attached). In this case the needle is re-sheathed to prevent contamination of the needle between the drawing up of the drug and administration to the patient. However, all possible steps should be taken to avoid this.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD A NEEDLE THAT HAS ENTERED A PATIENT'S BODY BE RE-SHEATHED

In the case of re-sheathing of a needle being required, this should be done safely by using the following technique, demonstrated by ClinicalSkills.net:

The European Directive 2010/32/EU mandates further protection from sharps injuries, requiring that medical devices must incorporate sharps safety protection mechanisms (European Council, 2010).

Please note that sharps safety devices may not always be used at the University for training purposes as:

a) unlike in clinical practice, any sharps used in training will not be used to inject into human tissue and therefore the risk from a needle stick injury is substantially lowered; 

b) safety devices are prioritised for clinical areas.

Always use sharps in a safe manner, regardless of whether they have safety devices or not.

Please complete the quiz below. By reading the information above and completing the last question within the quiz you are agreeing to use sharps safely during any sessions at Sheffield Hallam University. This includes the need to report any sharps related injuries or adverse incidents to the Health Technical Team in F306.

RCN (Royal College of Nursing) - Sharps Safety Guidance 

www.rcn.org.uk/professional-development/publications/pub-007746 

HSE (Health and Safety Executive) - Sharps Injuries 

www.hse.gov.uk/healthservices/needlesticks/ 

European Council. (2010) Council Directive 2010/32/EU of 10 May 2010 implementing the Framework Agreement on prevention from sharp injuries in the hospital and healthcare sector concluded by HOSPEEM and EPSU. OJ 1.6.2010. 

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2010:134:0066:0072:EN:PDF 

Date reviewed: 

Next review: August 2023