The Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013

The HSE is consulting on a new set of regulations to be introduced in 2013: The Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013. In truth, there is nothing new in these Regualtions, but they do codify some existing good practice.

Do you want to have your say? Link to the Draft Regulations and the HSE Consultation

 Use and disposal of medical sharps
Regualtion 4.
—(1) An employer must ensure that—
(a) use of medical sharps at work is avoided so far as is reasonably practicable;
(b) when medical sharps are used at work, safer sharps are used so far as is reasonably practicable;
(c) needles that are medical sharps are not capped after use at work unless the risk of injury to employees is effectively controlled by use of a suitable appliance, tool or other equipment; and
(d) in relation to the safe disposal of medical sharps that are not designed for re-use—
(i) written instructions for employees; and
(ii) clearly marked and secure containers,
are located close to areas where medical sharps are used at work.


Arrangements in the event of injury
Regulation 7.
—(1) Where an employer is notified of an incident at work pursuant to regulation 6, the employer must—
(a) record the incident;
(b) investigate the circumstances and cause of the incident; and
(c) take any necessary action to prevent a recurrence.
(2) Where an employee suffers an injury at work caused by a medical sharp that exposed, or may have exposed, the employee to a biological agent, the employer must—
(a) ensure that any treatment advised by a registered medical practitioner, including post-exposure prophylaxis, is made available to the employee;
(b) consider providing the employee with counselling.
(3) In this regulation—
(a) “biological agent” means a micro-organism, cell culture or human endoparasite, whether or not genetically modified, which may cause infection, allergy. toxicity or otherwise create a hazard to human health;
(b) “post-exposure prophylaxis” means a course of treatment of medicine administered to a person after exposure, or suspected exposure, to a biological agent