Health-care workers are continually at risk for injury by sharps, items which can readily puncture or cut the skin upon contact. Indeed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 385,000 sharps-related injuries are reported annually among health-care workers in hospitals.
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When an employee has a sharps injury, the stress for that worker -- and the worker’s family -- can be enormous. Testing for bloodborne pathogens can last for months, producing feelings of anxiety and distress. In addition, one sharps injury can cost thousands of dollars in terms of loss of employee time, staff resources to treat and investigate the injury, laboratory testing expenses, and treatment and replacement of infected staff.
At Penn Medicine, multidisciplinary teams are investing significant effort to make our workplace safer from sharp injury by identifying and minimizing sharp injury risks, and creating awareness of the many devices available that either eliminate needles, scalpels, and other sharp equipment or have covers to prevent sticks following their use.
As efforts continue toward reducing risks across the Health System, please feel free to share your questions, concerns and suggestions related to sharps safety with Nick Pinizzotto, associate director for UPHS Emergency Management and Safety Programs at (215) 349-5369 or nick.pinizzotto@uphs.upenn.edu
