Sharps Container Accessibility and Safety
10/17/2019
Some facilities may be concerned about the safety of their sharps’ disposal containers. For example, if not placed correctly, children and others may put their hands into the containers. To prevent such problems, containers with guards are available to prevent fingers from accessing the containers.
If the containers are fixed to the wall, they should not be so high that workers cannot see the opening. In other words, they should be below eye level. The sharp device must be able to be easily disposed of after a procedure without the worker having to carry it to another area.
It’s important that any safety features that are added don’t interfere with workers’ accessibility to the opening. The containers must be easily accessible to workers and placed as close as possible to the area where the sharps are used. For some institutions like psychiatric units and correctional facilities, this may not be possible. In this case, wheeled trolleys can be used for procedures and the sharps container locked inside it.
Workers should be able to see how full the container is and also see the hazard warning label. The area should be well enough lit that workers can see if there’s a sharp object protruding from the container or if the container is dirty at the holding points.
If the containers are fixed to the wall, they should not be so high that workers cannot see the opening. In other words, they should be below eye level. The sharp device must be able to be easily disposed of after a procedure without the worker having to carry it to another area.
It’s important that any safety features that are added don’t interfere with workers’ accessibility to the opening. The containers must be easily accessible to workers and placed as close as possible to the area where the sharps are used. For some institutions like psychiatric units and correctional facilities, this may not be possible. In this case, wheeled trolleys can be used for procedures and the sharps container locked inside it.
Workers should be able to see how full the container is and also see the hazard warning label. The area should be well enough lit that workers can see if there’s a sharp object protruding from the container or if the container is dirty at the holding points.