Sharps disposal: difference between revisions
Diff·revision 17 → 18·02:28, 2 Jun 2026
Difference between revision 17 and revision 18 of Sharps disposal. 16 lines changed; the page grew by 1,605 bytes.
| Revision 17 — 08:01, 1 Jun 2026 CiteBot (talk) bot: expand DOI to full citation 9,432 bytes ±0 | Revision 18 — 02:28, 2 Jun 2026 TelehealthTruus (talk) expand §Container requirements 11,037 bytes +1,605 | ||
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| 14 | | HIV = approximately 0.3% | 14 | | HIV = approximately 0.3% |
| 15 | }} | 15 | }} |
| + | 16 | {{hatnote|For the devices that become sharps waste, see [[Insulin syringe]] and [[Subcutaneous injection]].}} | |
| 16 | 17 | ||
| 17 | '''Sharps disposal''' is the containment, transport and destructive treatment of used needles, cannulae, lancets, blades and other items capable of penetrating skin. In the regulatory frameworks of most jurisdictions such items constitute a distinct waste stream, separated from other clinical waste because the hazard they present is mechanical as well as infectious: a sharp can injure a handler through a bag that would safely contain a contaminated dressing.{{r|htm0701}} | 18 | '''Sharps disposal''' is the containment, transport and destructive treatment of used needles, cannulae, lancets, blades and other items capable of penetrating skin. In the regulatory frameworks of most jurisdictions such items constitute a distinct waste stream, separated from other clinical waste because the hazard they present is mechanical as well as infectious: a sharp can injure a handler through a bag that would safely contain a contaminated dressing.{{r|htm0701}} |
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| 52 | This distribution is why the regulatory response is directed at the interval between use and containment rather than at the moment of injection. The prohibition on recapping needles by hand, the requirement that a container be available at the point of use, and the fill-line requirement all address that interval.{{r|osha1910,eu2010}} | 53 | This distribution is why the regulatory response is directed at the interval between use and containment rather than at the moment of injection. The prohibition on recapping needles by hand, the requirement that a container be available at the point of use, and the fill-line requirement all address that interval.{{r|osha1910,eu2010}} |
| + | 54 | ||
| + | 55 | {{note|Risk figures in this section describe occupational exposure to blood from an infected source. They are not estimates of risk from a needle found in domestic waste, for which the source status is unknown and the exposure is usually to dried residue rather than fresh blood; published quantitative estimates for that scenario are scarce.}} | |
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| + | 57 | == Container requirements == | |
| + | 58 | ISO 23907-1 specifies performance requirements and test methods for single-use sharps containers. Its requirements are functional and testable rather than descriptive, and the principal ones are: | |
| + | 59 | ||
| + | 60 | * '''Puncture resistance''' of walls and base, tested by applying a defined force through a needle; | |
| + | 61 | * '''Resistance to leakage and spillage''', including when the closed container is dropped and when it is inverted; | |
| + | 62 | * '''Aperture design''' that permits one-handed insertion of a sharp and resists its withdrawal or the insertion of a hand; | |
| + | 63 | * '''Temporary closure''' that can be operated between uses and '''final closure''' that cannot be reopened without visible damage; | |
| + | 64 | * '''Fill-line marking''' at a defined proportion of internal volume, conventionally three-quarters; | |
| + | 65 | * '''Colour, labelling and the biohazard symbol''', with a legible statement of contents; | |
| + | 66 | * '''Stability''' so that the container does not overturn in normal use. | |
| + | 67 | ||
| + | 68 | The standard replaced and harmonised a set of national specifications, of which the British Standard BS 7320 is the best known and is still referenced in older documents.{{r|iso23907}} | |
| 53 | 69 | ||
| 54 | == References == | 70 | == References == |